Lammy calls for Putin to accept unconditional ceasefire in Ukraine

The UK called on Vladimir Putin to commit to a “full and immediate ceasefire” as Russian forces continued to bombard Ukraine.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the Russian leader should agree to the US and Ukrainian proposal for an unconditional ceasefire.

Military chiefs from the UK and its allies were meeting to discuss how a peacekeeping force could operate in Ukraine to deter further Russian attacks if a deal to end the war is reached.

That could mean British forces currently guarding Nato’s eastern flank being redeployed to Ukraine, with other allies filling the gap.

Calls this week between US President Donald Trump, Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky have failed to produce the 30-day ceasefire envisaged by the White House.

Instead Mr Putin agreed to a truce on striking energy infrastructure, although Ukraine has said other civilian targets including a hospital had been struck.

Mr Lammy, who spoke to his US counterpart Marco Rubio on Wednesday night, said: “Putin must commit to a full and immediate ceasefire without conditions – as Ukraine has done.”

As military leaders from the “coalition of the willing” prepared for talks in the UK, armed forces minister Luke Pollard set out some of the ways a peacekeeping mission could operate.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today: “If one nation offers fast jet combat air, like a Typhoon aircraft, for instance, how will the other nations work alongside it? Where will it refuel?

“How will it operate with other nations’ capabilities?

“It’s that type of planning that we’re doing today to make sure that any force in or around Ukraine can be as credible as possible and, importantly, support our Ukrainian friends to defend their country and their front line, because it will be for them that this is primarily designed to support.”

He added that the talks would also consider “if a deployment means moving a military asset or capability that’s already deployed, how can we backfill those commitments to make sure that we’re not simply moving all our available resources into one location and leaving other flanks of Nato exposed”.

Mr Pollard pointed out “we already have UK forces along the eastern flank of Nato in Estonia, for instance, to deter Russian aggression against the Baltic states”.

Downing Street said the military leaders would be involved in “granular planning” of the details of any potential deployment.

Mr Zelensky said he believes a “lasting peace can be achieved this year” after his call with Mr Trump.

In the same call, Mr Trump suggested that the US takes ownership of Ukrainian power plants to ensure their security.

Mr Zelensky was updating European Union leaders on the discussions during their summit in Brussels on Thursday.

Overnight, Mr Zelensky said Russia carried out a series of drone attacks.

“Last night, the Russians launched nearly 200 Shahed drones and decoy UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles),” he said.

“A massive attack on the Kirovohrad region left 10 people wounded, including four children, and caused damage to homes, a church, and infrastructure.”

British military intelligence officials estimate 200-250,000 Russian soldiers have been killed since the 2022 invasion, the country’s largest losses since the Second World War.

“Russian President Putin and the Russian military leadership highly likely prioritise their conflict objectives over the lives of Russian soldiers,” the assessment released by the Ministry of Defence said.

“They are almost certainly prepared to tolerate continuously high casualty rates so long as this does not negatively affect public or elite support for the war, and those losses can be replaced.”

In total there have been an estimated 900,000 casualties, including the wounded, with the bulk of military personnel drawn from impoverished regions and ethnic minorities, the defence intelligence update said.