The UK and France have urged Russia’s President Vladimir Putin to prove he wants a peace deal with Ukraine, ahead of talks between Putin and Donald Trump on Tuesday.
French President Emmanuel Macron hailed the “courage” of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenksy in agreeing to a ceasefire proposal, and challenged Russia to do the same.
“Enough deaths. Enough lives destroyed. Enough destruction. The guns must fall silent,” Macron said in a post on X.
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said Putin should agree to a “full and unconditional ceasefire now”, telling MPs he had seen “no sign” that Putin was serious about a peace deal.
He warned that the UK and its allies have “more cards that we can play” to help force Russia to negotiate “seriously”.
The White House sounded a more upbeat note on the eve of the Trump-Putin talks, which will take place by phone, saying peace in Ukraine has “never been closer”.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Monday that Trump was “determined” to secure the peace deal.
On what the talks might cover, she said: “There’s a power plant that is on the border of Russia and Ukraine that was up for discussion with the Ukrainians, and he will address it in his call with Putin tomorrow.”
The facility is likely to be the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe. It has been occupied by Russian forces since March 2022, and fears of a nuclear accident have persisted due to fighting in the area.
Asked on Sunday what concessions were being considered in the ceasefire negotiations, Trump said: “We’ll be talking about land. We’ll be talking about power plants […] We’re already talking about that, dividing up certain assets.”
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on what the leaders would discuss, responding, “We never do that.”
While Putin has previously said he supports a ceasefire, he also set out a list of conditions for achieving peace.
One of the areas of contention is Russia’s Western Kursk region, where Ukraine launched a military incursion last August and captured some territory.
Russia had pushed to recapture it in recent weeks, and Putin now claims it is fully back in control of Kursk.
He has also raised numerous questions about how a ceasefire could be monitored and policed along the frontline in the east, and has said he would not accept Nato troops on the territory.
The peace proposal on the table was discussed by Ukrainian and American delegates in Saudi Arabia last week.
After hours locked away in a room, they announced proposals for a 30-day ceasefire, which Ukraine said it was ready to accept.
France’s President Macron and newly elected Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who met on Tuesday, stressed their nations would continue their “unwavering” support of Ukraine and demand “clear commitments” from Russia.
