Foreign Secretary David Lammy said there is no evidence that Vladimir Putin wants a peace deal to end his Ukraine war. Donald Trump has claimed he could end the conflict on January 21, the day after becoming US president again. But Mr Lammy suggested that this timetable now appeared to be slipping towards Easter.
“Of course there will be a negotiation but I maintain this position, at the moment Putin’s behaviour do not suggest that he is willing to negotiate,” the Cabinet minister told BBC radio. “I see no evidence that Putin wants to come to the table to negotiate and bring this war to an end.”.
“So we have to be clear that as we head through this winter, we must continue to support Ukraine with all of the military, economic and humanitarian assistance that it needs.”. Russian military chiefs have launched a series of offensives on multiple fronts in eastern Ukraine in what appears to be an attempt by Putin to grab as much land as possible before Trump gets back into the White House.
Ukraine has started a new offensive in the Kursk region of Russia after seizing a swathe of it in the summer in a surprise attack. Russian troops are seeking to retake Kursk, with the support of North Korean soldiers who are said to have suffered heavy casualties after being thrown into battle.
