Speaking to Trump late on Monday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer “reiterated that all must work together to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position to secure a just and lasting peace”, the British leader’s spokesperson said.
Russia seized the Crimea peninsula from Ukraine in 2014 and controls most of four eastern Ukrainian regions following its invasion in February 2022. It controls about a fifth of Ukrainian territory.
Putin said he sent troops into Ukraine because NATO’s creeping expansion threatened Russia’s security. He has demanded Ukraine drop its ambition of joining the Western military alliance.
Putin has also said Russia must keep control of the Ukrainian territory it has seized, that Western sanctions should be eased and Kyiv must stage a presidential election. Zelenskyy, elected in 2019, rules under martial law he imposed because of the war.
