British Foreign Minister David Lammy expressed skepticism about Russia's willingness for peace with Ukraine following a closed-door meeting with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, at a gathering of top G20 diplomats in South Africa. Lammy conveyed to Reuters that dialogue so far had not led to a negotiated settlement, highlighting the lack of enthusiasm he observed from the Russian side for genuine peace efforts.
Regarding the potential deployment of peacekeepers in Ukraine without security assurances from the U.S., Lammy emphasized the absence of progress and Russian reluctance, stating, "I don't see an appetite to really get to that peace."
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, during discussions among European leaders in Paris, stressed the need for a lasting peace in Ukraine supported by U.S. security commitments. The specifics of British peacekeeping troop deployment remained uncertain.
Lammy reiterated the importance of European defense capabilities and committed to dedicating a portion of GDP towards defense spending, including a significant annual aid pledge of 3 billion to Ukraine.
In response to President Trump's recent actions, which surprised European allies and raised concerns about Ukraine negotiations, Lammy emphasized the necessity of Ukraine's central role in any peace talks and expressed the intention to engage further with Trump on the matter.