Britain, France Accuse Putin of Sabotaging Ukraine Peace Talks/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Britain and France have accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of deliberately stalling Ukraine ceasefire negotiations. As Russian attacks intensify and a new offensive looms, pressure grows on Moscow to commit to peace. The West warns that continued delays could derail diplomatic progress.
Britain, France Blame Putin for Ceasefire Delay – Quick Looks
- UK and France accuse Putin of obstructing ceasefire progress in Ukraine.
- Russian drone strike on Kharkiv kills five, highlighting urgency for peace.
- Russia rejected a U.S.-led 30-day ceasefire proposal, frustrating NATO officials.
- New Russian ground offensive reportedly being prepared to strengthen Kremlin’s leverage.
- U.S. Secretary of State Rubio, French and British ministers demand quick Russian response.
- Russia’s conscription of 160,000 troops signals continued escalation.
- Western intelligence says Russia rebuilding its military, aiming for negotiation advantage.
- Ukraine supported ceasefire weeks ago, but Russia remains non-committal.
Britain, France Accuse Putin of Sabotaging Ukraine Peace Talks
Deep Look
Tensions between Western powers and Moscow intensified Friday as Britain and France publicly accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of deliberately stalling efforts to reach a ceasefire in Ukraine. Their criticism comes in the wake of a deadly Russian drone assault on Kharkiv and amid signs that Moscow is preparing for a renewed military push aimed at strengthening its position in peace talks.
Speaking from NATO headquarters in Brussels, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said, “Putin continues to obfuscate, continues to drag his feet.” Standing beside French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, Lammy emphasized the unified European stance: that Russia must either agree to a ceasefire or be held accountable for continued aggression.
The latest spark of urgency came from a devastating drone strike in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, where five civilians were killed and 32 injured. Flames engulfed apartment buildings as emergency workers pulled victims from the rubble. The attack reinforced the Ukrainian government’s insistence that peace efforts cannot wait.
“Now, I think it is obvious who wants peace and who wants war,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said at the NATO meeting. “We must pressure Russia into peace.”
Despite a recent U.S. proposal for a 30-day full halt in hostilities, Russia has shown little interest in an immediate truce. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the coming weeks would reveal Moscow’s true intentions.
“We will know from their answers very soon whether they are serious about proceeding with real peace or whether it’s a delay tactic,” he said.
Kirill Dmitriev, a Kremlin envoy who traveled to Washington this week, acknowledged ongoing talks but indicated more meetings would be required. Dmitriev, who leads Russia’s sovereign wealth fund and was previously sanctioned by the Biden administration, criticized what he called a media campaign to distort Russia’s message.
On the ground, the war continues to escalate. Ukrainian officials and Western analysts report that Russian forces are preparing for a new multi-pronged ground offensive across the 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line. The campaign is expected to coincide with spring’s drier terrain, which will allow tanks and heavy artillery to advance.
Moscow’s strategy appears to be twofold: build leverage in negotiations while continuing battlefield gains. According to a recent U.S. intelligence report, Russia has regained momentum in the war and is strategically patient, betting that time will shift the conflict in its favor.
France’s Barrot said Ukraine had accepted a ceasefire proposal three weeks ago and called on Russia to respond clearly. “It has to be ‘yes.’ It has to be ‘no.’ It has to be a quick answer,” he said.
Complicating matters further, President Trump has expressed frustration with both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, after initially vowing to bring the war to a swift end. U.S. officials are pushing hard for a diplomatic breakthrough but acknowledge the Kremlin may be using negotiations as a smokescreen.
The Kremlin, however, appears to be digging in. Putin recently ordered the conscription of 160,000 new troops, signaling no immediate intention to scale down military operations. Meanwhile, Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure and civilian areas have continued, prompting accusations of war crimes.
Western powers are also coordinating efforts to prepare for any future peacekeeping role.
Britain and France are leading a “coalition of the willing” composed of up to a dozen countries willing to deploy forces to enforce any potential ceasefire deal in Ukraine.
In Kyiv, military leaders from coalition nations met Friday, while defense ministers from the group are scheduled to gather at NATO headquarters next week.
The scale of Russia’s military rebuild also has Washington concerned. General Christopher Cavoli, commander of U.S. forces in Europe, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that Russian forces in Ukraine now exceed 600,000 troops—nearly double the size of the original invasion force. Russia is also producing artillery shells at a rate of 250,000 per month, building a stockpile three times larger than that of the U.S. and Europe combined.
“This isn’t a country that’s winding down a war,” said Cavoli. “It’s a country preparing to outlast its adversaries.”
As ceasefire discussions teeter on the edge, Western allies are making it clear: patience is running thin. Without swift and sincere Russian engagement, support for Ukraine’s defense will only deepen, and the diplomatic window may soon close.
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