David Lammy rages at Vladimir Putin as he tries to wade into Ukraine ceasefire deal

The Foreign Secretary has said it would be “wrong” for Vladimir Putin to place conditions on a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. David Lammy said a pause in fighting would be a “first step” towards allowing talks to start on “a full settlement” to end the war, as US President Donald Trump warned it would be “very disappointing” for Moscow to reject the proposal.

Earlier this week, talks between the US and Ukraine in Saudi Arabia ended in Kyiv agreeing to a 30-day cessation in the fighting, with Trump dispatching his envoy Steve Witkoff to Moscow to discuss the plans with the Kremlin. Yesterday, the Russian leader said that he was open to “the idea itself" but claimed that “there are issues that we need to discuss, and I think that we need to discuss it with our American colleagues and partners”. Speaking ahead of a meeting in Canada with his G7 counterparts, Lammy said there is an “opportunity” for “a just and lasting peace” in Ukraine.

He told the Mirror: “The US and Ukraine have called for a full, immediate and unconditional 30-day ceasefire.

"This would be a first step so that talks can start on a full settlement that protects Ukraine’s security and sovereignty. President Zelensky has shown that Ukraine is the party of peace.

“It would be wrong for Putin to lay conditions. Our support for Ukraine, and that of other partners, remains ironclad.”

Kremlin officials have dismissed the idea of a ceasefire in recent weeks, claiming that it allows Ukraine to rearm and reorganise its forces as they continue to be forced back into areas such as the Russian territory of Kursk.

Putin, who was due to meet Mr Witkoff on Thursday, said: “We agree with the proposals to halt the fighting, but we proceed from the assumption that the ceasefire should lead to lasting peace and remove the root causes of the crisis.”

In his nightly address to the nation, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Putin of being too “afraid” to reject a ceasefire, opting instead to make significant and unrealistic demands.

“That’s why, in Moscow, they are surrounding the ceasefire idea with such preconditions that it either fails or gets dragged out for as long as possible,” he said.

Russia have been threatened by the United States with “very bad” financial consequences if they refuse to agree to the pause in fighting, something backed by Downing Street.

Asked whether the UK would ramp up sanctions if the Kremlin rejected the ceasefire proposal, Downing Street said “ongoing US, UK and European pressure” would cripple Mr Putin’s income streams.

“President Trump’s leadership to suffocate Russia’s economy is welcome,” a Number 10 spokesman said.

Sir Keir said on Thursday that a peace deal in Ukraine is needed to ensure the Russian president’s war does not maintain a “choke hold” on Europe and stressed the need to deter him from attempting to conquer his neighbour again.

He said: “I profoundly believe that if we don’t secure a just peace and a lasting peace, then that insecurity, which we’ve already felt, will continue.

“And that means, here, higher prices, higher bills, the cost-of-living crisis going on for even longer – if you like, a choke hold on our future, which will be much, much harder for us to tackle.

“We know some basics: Putin’s appetite for conflict and for chaos is already there, and it will only grow.

“And Russia is already menacing our skies, our waters, our streets and our national security.”

He said any peace deal would have to allow Ukraine to be “sovereign and secure”.