UK FM Lammy: Russia Shows No Appetite for Peace With Ukraine

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, after attending a closed-door meeting of G20 foreign ministers in South Africa, said he saw no indication that Russia was willing to pursue peace with Ukraine following Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s speech, as reported by Reuters on February 21.

When asked whether the UK would consider deploying peacekeepers in Ukraine without security guarantees from the US, Lammy stated, “We have not got anywhere near a negotiated settlement.”

“And I have to say, when I listen to what the Russians and what Lavrov has just said in the chamber this afternoon, I don’t see an appetite to really get to that peace,” he added.

Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, speaking at a meeting of European leaders in Paris on 17 February, emphasized that lasting peace in Ukraine depends on US security commitments. He added that it was too early to discuss how many UK peacekeepers might be deployed.

European leaders reportedly debated the possibility of peacekeeper deployments but failed to reach a consensus, instead pledging to bolster their defense capabilities.

“This is a critical moment, it’s essential for Europe to increase… defense spending to step up our commitment to our own defences across Europe,” Starmer said.

Previously, Keir Starmer declared he is “ready and willing” to deploy British troops to Ukraine to enforce a potential peace deal, The Telegraph reported on February 16.