Starmer and Zelensky welcome Trump's Russia peace deadline

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier in the summer (Jeff Moore/PA) Jeff Moore

Sir Keir Starmer (Labour) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky have "welcomed" Donald Trump's new deadline for Russia to make progress on peace efforts. The leaders agreed during a phone call on Friday that Russia remains "the only barrier to peace" in the ongoing conflict.

Trump announced on Tuesday that he was giving Russian President Vladimir Putin until August 8 to show meaningful progress on peace negotiations. The US President warned that Washington would impose punitive sanctions and tariffs if Russia continued its "stalling tactics".

Condolences over deadly Kyiv attack

The Prime Minister began the conversation by offering his condolences for the recent deadly attack on Kyiv. According to Downing Street's official readout, Starmer described it as "a bitter reminder of the human cost of the awful conflict perpetrated by Russia".

Starmer also updated Zelensky on Trump's upcoming visit to the UK. Both leaders expressed support for the American President's approach to pressuring Russia into serious peace negotiations.

Ukraine calls strike "vile and brutal"

Zelensky described the recent Russian attack on Kyiv as "absolutely vile and brutal". The missile and drone strike killed 31 people, including five children, according to the Ukrainian President's statement on X.

"Our conversation today focused on how to stop the killings, provide greater protection for our people, and force Russia to end this war," Zelensky said. He emphasised that Russia "genuinely fears" sanctions, despite pretending otherwise.

Sanctions coordination and drone technology

The Ukrainian leader stressed that sanctions are "undoubtedly working" and promised there would be more coordinated restrictive measures. He said Ukraine is working with international partners to ensure effective implementation of these measures.

The two leaders also discussed military cooperation, particularly regarding drone technology. Zelensky highlighted "the urgent need to scale up drone production, especially interceptor drones" and said there was "a specific financial need" that they agreed to address.

Anti-corruption progress welcomed

Number 10 said Starmer "updated on the strong progress being made at rapid pace" in various areas of cooperation. The Prime Minister also welcomed Ukraine's passage of an anti-corruption bill earlier this week.

The leaders discussed potential formats for peace negotiations at leadership level and coordination with American partners under Trump's administration. Both emphasised the importance of maintaining international pressure on Russia to end the conflict.

(PA/London) Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.