Russia mulls Ukraine ceasefire proposal as G7 foreign ministers meet in Canada
US officials have travelled to Moscow to put the proposal for a 30-day ceasefire to the Kremlin.
G7 foreign ministers are to meet in Canada as Russia considers a proposal for a ceasefire in Ukraine.
Peace in Ukraine is likely to top the agenda for Thursday’s meeting in Charlevoix, Quebec, with UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy stressing the need to ensure Kyiv is “in the strongest possible position”.
Mr Lammy said: “If we do not achieve lasting peace in Ukraine, the instability and insecurity that has hit the living standards of working people in Britain will only get worse and Putin’s appetite for conflict and chaos will only grow.”
The meeting, which will also be attended by US secretary of state Marco Rubio, comes as the Kremlin considers a proposal for a 30-day ceasefire put forward after talks between the US and Ukraine.
American officials were expected to put the proposals directly to Russian President Vladimir Putin overnight on Wednesday, with Mr Rubio saying “the ball is truly in their court”.
On Wednesday evening, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow was still awaiting “detailed information” on the proposal.
The G7 meeting is the latest in a round of diplomacy as the world scrambles to respond to Donald Trump’s push for an end to the war in Ukraine.
Earlier in the week, military chiefs from Europe and beyond met in Paris to discuss plans for a peacekeeping force that could be deployed to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire.
UK Defence Secretary John Healey said this work was “accelerating” after a meeting with his counterparts from France, Germany, Italy and Poland on Wednesday, with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to host a summit of the “coalition of the willing” on Saturday.
But while Mr Lammy is set to push for continued support for Ukraine when he meets the G7 foreign ministers on Thursday, the meeting could also see tensions as the US seeks to avoid criticism of Moscow.
The Trump administration has already opposed UN resolutions condemning Russian aggression in Ukraine, and earlier in the week Mr Rubio said the US would not “sign on to any communique that’s not consistent with our position to bring both sides to the table”.
Mr Trump’s repeated claims that the US should absorb Canada as its 51st state could also prove to be a sticking point, although Mr Rubio told reporters on Wednesday it was “not what we’re going to discuss at the G7”.
