Sunak wants to see Moscow defeated before peace talks
BRITAIN wants to put Ukraine in the “strongest possible position” for peace talks with Moscow, Rishi Sunak said yesterday.
The Prime Minister said London wanted to help Kyiv defeat Moscow to strengthen Ukraine’s hand before any negotiations, which Volodymyr Zelensky has ruled out while Russia occupies Ukrainian territory.
Mr Sunak said the decision to hold negotiations had to be made by Ukrainians alone after reports that America was putting Kyiv under pressure to consider a ceasefire.
He said: “Our job is to continue to help the Ukrainians defend themselves, and put themselves in the strongest possible position at a time of their choosing, to bring a negotiated settlement.”
He admitted the war in Ukraine was causing economic turmoil in Britain and around the world. But he warned that Vladimir Putin had shown no interest in peace and it was “right” Britain was standing up to Russian aggression by sending weapons and aid.
“Its a bit unfair to say to the Ukrainians, ‘look you should be negotiating when your country and your civilian infrastructure is being relentlessly bombed’,” he said, ahead of today’s G20 summit in Indonesia.
Jens Stoltenberg, the Nato Secretary General, said in the Netherlands yesterday: “What we should do is to support Ukraine to strengthen their hand.”
“Russia can end this war tomorrow,” he said and added the decision to hold peace talks would be made in Kyiv and not “any Nato capital”, which includes Washington.
Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, added: “Russia must withdraw troops from the Ukrainian territory within internationally recognised borders. This will pave the wave for the peace process.”
“This is a new 1938 moment for Europe and certainly not a time to seek peace for our time,” as he warned a meeting of EU foreign ministers not to go down in history as “appeasers”.