NATO panic as brazen Vladimir Putin makes aggressive move on EU country
Russian jets infringed NATO airspace in what has been branded a 'very serious' move.
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PM accuses Putin of âdragging feetâ in peace talks over no-show for Zelensky
The Prime Minister accused Moscowâ??s leader of â??standing in the wayâ?? of a truce after his no-show in Turkey.
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Vladimir Putinâs refusal to meet Volodymyr Zelensky face-to-face for peace talks is âfurther evidenceâ of the Russian president âdragging his feetâ to delay a ceasefire, Sir Keir Starmer has said.
The Prime Minister accused Moscowâs leader of âstanding in the wayâ of a truce after his no-show in Turkey, where his Ukrainian counterpart had said he was prepared to have direct discussions about the war.
Instead of Mr Putin, the Kremlin is sending the presidentâs aide Vladimir Medinsky and deputy defence and foreign ministers.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said he was prepared to meet his Russian counterpart in person (PA)
PA Wire
Asked what his message was to the Russian leader during a visit to Albania on Thursday, Sir Keir said: âLet me take this head on, because whatâs happened today is further evidence that itâs Putin who is dragging his feet.
âIt is Putin who is causing the delay in a ceasefire. Ukraine has long been clear, several months ago now, that they would have a 30-day unconditional ceasefire, and we have long said that itâs Putin who is standing in the way of that peace.â
Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Nato counterparts, including the USâs top diplomat Marco Rubio, are taking part in a separate meeting in Turkey.
Mr Lammy said: âWe come with one single message â to stand by Ukraine and to ensure that we get a just and lasting, enduring peace.
âAnd the readiness for that peace is demonstrated by President Zelensky being here in Turkey as well.
âAnd of course, we watched closely as we head to these talks, noting the Russian low-level individuals who are coming to represent the Russian side.â
At the Nato meeting, Mr Rubio said US president Donald Trump is âopen to virtually any mechanism that gets us to a just, enduring and lasting peace and thatâs what he wants to seeâ.
Mr Rubio said: âHe wants to end wars and thatâs the hope with Russia and Ukraine. Weâll see what happens over the next couple of days in that regard, but we want to see progress made.â
While the Nato foreign ministers gathered in Antalya, Mr Zelensky was visiting Ankara for talks with Turkeyâs Recep Tayyip Erdogan, but has said he would travel to Istanbul where peace talks are taking place if Mr Putin showed up.
The Nato meeting comes as the US continued to push European members to increase military spending to fund more of their own security.
Mr Trump and senior figures in his administration have criticised the current situation, with vice president JD Vance suggesting the US was âbailing outâ Europe and defence secretary Pete Hegseth accusing European states of âfreeloadingâ in a conversation on Signal which inadvertently included a journalist.
In Turkey, Mr Rubio said: âNato has the opportunity to grow even stronger⦠the alliance is only as strong as its weakest link, and we intend and endeavour to have no weak links in this alliance.
âSo itâs setting up nicely, and itâs good to see. The president has just submitted a budget for a trillion dollars of defence spending, which is unheard of. Itâs unparalleled.â
Mr Lammy pointed to the UKâs commitment to spend 2.5% of gross domestic product on defence from April 2027 and 3% during the next parliament, exceeding the current Nato target of 2% but below the 5% Mr Trump has called for.
The Foreign Secretary said it was âhugely important that we redouble our efforts across the Euro-Atlantic to recommit to defence spendingâ.
âAll of us were committing far more during the Cold War,â Mr Lammy said.
âItâs hugely important that we recommit to Europeâs defences and that we step up alongside our US partners in this challenging geopolitical moment.â
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