UK PM expects peace deal in Ukraine this summer

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, photo: aa.com.tr

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has expressed hope that a ceasefire in Ukraine could be reached by the summer. At the same time, he stressed that the decision on the terms of peace should be made exclusively by the Ukrainian side.

He said this in an interview with The Telegraph.

Starmer stressed that no other country should impose its vision on Ukraine. According to him, Russia should agree to an unconditional ceasefire, and the agreements should be long-term and acceptable to all participants, including Ukraine.

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The politician warned against temporary ceasefires, which, in his opinion, would only open the way for Russia to engage in new aggression in the future. He recalled that similar scenarios have already happened, and he has no doubt that Moscow will take advantage of such a pause again.

In addition, Kier Starmer insisted on security guarantees from the United States for the forces that could be deployed in Ukraine to monitor compliance with the terms of the peace. He also categorically rejected the possibility of supporting the initiative to recognise Crimea as Russian, which was previously reported by the media.

Earlier, US President Donald Trump commented on a recent statement by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in which the Ukrainian leader stressed that Ukraine would never legally recognise the annexation of Crimea.

In response, Donald Trump asked a rhetorical question — why the peninsula was not fought for 11 years ago, when, according to the American president, «it was given away without a shot being fired».

According to the New York Post, citing anonymous sources among US officials, the United States is seeking to achieve a complete cessation of hostilities in the near future.

At the same time, Washington is proposing a de facto freeze of the conflict, so that the occupied regions remain under Russian control. The US is considering recognising Russia's jurisdiction over Crimea as part of a larger peace deal.

Kyiv was expected to provide an official response to these proposals during the London meeting on 23 April. If an agreement was reached between Ukraine, the United States and European countries, the arrangements could be handed over to the Russian side for further negotiations.

However, on the day of the talks, it became known that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio would not arrive in London. This led to the postponement of the meeting between the foreign ministers of the UK, France and Germany. Instead, talks were held at the level of senior officials of the five countries.

According to Sky News, «the decrease in the level of diplomacy» is due to the increased pressure from Donald Trump's team on Kyiv and Moscow to achieve a ceasefire.

However, it should be noted that during a meeting with international partners in London, the Ukrainian delegation voiced an unchanged position on the settlement of the war. In particular, that Ukraine is open to negotiations, but not on the terms of surrender.

Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko also said that Ukrainian society would not accept the option of a «frozen conflict» presented as peace, and would not recognise the annexation of Crimea.