The EU and the UK are working to accelerate the weapons delivery to Ukraine ahead of a potential ceasefire in its defensive war against Russia, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said in an interview with Bloomberg.
He said he had discussed with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas the possibility of sending more military assistance to Ukraine before a broad cessation of hostilities is achieved, shortly before Putin agreed to a limited truce.
“Of course it’s our intention to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position militarily and economically. We want peace to prevail, but we get peace through strength, and that means putting Ukraine in the strongest possible position to repel any prospects of the war beginning again,” David Lemmy stated.
The British Foreign Secretary also warned that Putin cannot be allowed to capitalize on a truce by re-arming Russian troops before a lasting peace is reached.
“What we want is an end to all fighting, not a period in which Putin is able to re-arm and go again. No ifs, no buts, no conditions: Putin could simply declare an unconditional ceasefire on the basis of what was negotiated between the US, with our help, and the Ukrainians last week, and we could begin the proper process of peace in Ukraine,” Lammy said.
On March 18, Putin and US President Donald Trump struck an agreement to limit Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy assets for 30 days, but the Russian leader declined to agree to a broader ceasefire that the US had sought.
As reported, Putin called “the cessation of forced mobilization in Ukraine and the rearmament of the Armed Forces of Ukraine” a requirement for this.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said that during his phone conversation with Putin, they did not touch on the topic of assistance to Ukraine.
In turn, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron said that they would continue to provide military assistance to Ukraine.
