Russia on Monday said that pledges made by European leaders at a London summit on Ukraine over the weekend to increase funding to Kyiv will not help bring about a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
Recall that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and other Western leaders on Sunday, where they agreed to draw up a Ukraine peace plan to present to the United States, two days after Zelenskyy clashed with President Donald Trump at an extraordinary meeting at the White House.
According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, the funding pledges from European leaders, including a $2 billion air-defense missile deal from Britain, will cause the war to drag on.
“This clearly does not relate to a peace plan but will allow for the continuation of hostilities.
“Any constructive initiatives (for peace) will be in demand now. It’s very important that someone forces Zelenskyy himself to change his position. He doesn’t want peace. Someone must make Zelenskyy want peace,” Peskov said.
Starmer, who welcomed Zelenskyy to London with a warm hug on Saturday, said Britain, Ukraine, France, and some other nations would form a coalition of the willing and draw up a peace plan to take to Trump.
Peskov said European leaders would need to make a lot of effort with Washington to wash away what he described as the unpleasant residue of Zelenskyy’s meeting with Trump.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian leader told reporters on Sunday that he believed he could salvage his relationship with Trump, adding that talks would have to take place behind closed doors.