Putin ceasefire refusal ‘disappointing’ says Downing Street

Sir Keir Starmer said he had reaffirmed the UK's steadfast backing for Kyiv in a call with Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday as the Ukrainian president prepared to further discuss potential peace plans with Donald Trump .

The Russian president and US leader have agreed to a limited ceasefire on energy and infrastructure targets, but air strikes have continued as the Kremlin holds off accepting a 30-day truce backed by Washington and Ukraine.

Following their call on Tuesday, Number 10 was asked whether the prime minister was satisfied with the outcome of the discussions.

“We obviously welcome President Trump's efforts to secure a ceasefire in this space, but it is also disappointing that Putin has not agreed to a full-on, immediate ceasefire without conditions, as Ukraine has done,” Sir Keir's official spokesman said.

At Prime Minister's Questions, Sir Keir said: “Last night, I spoke to President Zelensky to discuss progress that President Trump had made with Russia towards a ceasefire.

“And I took the opportunity to reaffirm our unwavering support to the people of Ukraine.”

However, he said that seizing Russian assets to give to Ukraine was “complicated” in response to a question on whether it was time to help Kyiv “strengthen their hand” and “punish aggression” from Moscow.

At a press conference in Helsinki yesterday, Mr Zelensky said: “Putin's words are very different from reality.”