SANN News
The UK is set to host European ministers for “critical” talks on “repelling Russian aggression,” two days after Ukraine’s allies demanded that Moscow accept a ceasefire. Representatives from France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and the EU will join Foreign Secretary David Lammy in London for a meeting of the “Weimar+” group. The coalition was established in February in response to shifting US policy towards the war between Ukraine and Russia and European security under President Donald Trump.
The meeting follows a visit by the leaders of France, Germany, Poland, and the UK to Kyiv, where they called for Russia to agree to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire to allow for peace talks. Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed direct negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul on May 15, but did not respond to the European call for a 30-day ceasefire. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he would be prepared to meet Putin in Turkey, but did not say whether he would still attend if Russia refused the European proposal.
The London meeting, where Lammy is expected to announce further sanctions targeting those backing Russia’s invasion, will be the sixth gathering of the Weimar+ group and the first hosted by the UK. European leaders are facing a once-in-a-generation moment for the collective security of their continent, and they must stand together to protect sovereignty, peace, and Ukraine.
