By Alistair Smout
LONDON (Reuters) -Britain on Friday urged fellow allies of Ukraine to reach a deal to use frozen Russian assets to strengthen its hand for any future peace talks, as President Volodymyr Zelenskiy arrived in London for talks with those allies.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office said he would also press the “Coalition of the Willing” countries to take Russian oil and gas off the global market and give Kyiv more long-range missiles.
European Union leaders agreed on Thursday to meet Ukraine’s “pressing financial needs” for the next two years but stopped short of endorsing a plan to use frozen Russian assets to fund a giant loan to Kyiv over Belgian concerns.
UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT SEEKS LOANS AND WEAPONS
Zelenskiy had asked the EU leaders in Brussels on Thursday for long-range missiles and to use the frozen assets to provide it with more weapons.
He also welcomed U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to impose sanctions on Russia’s two biggest oil companies, a dramatic U-turn after last week announcing plans for a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Starmer said Putin was not serious about ending the war.
“Time and again we offer Putin the chance to end his needless invasion, to stop the killing and recall his troops, but he repeatedly rejects those proposals and any chance of peace,” he said in a statement.
“We must ratchet up the pressure on Russia and build on President Trump’s decisive action.”
RUSSIA WARNS OF PAINFUL RESPONSE
Moscow has promised a “painful response” if the assets are seized. Putin also said the sanctions on oil companies were an unfriendly act, but would not significantly affect the Russian economy.
In another bid to starve Moscow of revenue, the EU approved a 19th package of sanctions, which includes a ban on imports of Russian liquefied natural gas.
Friday’s talks in London were due to be a mixture of in-person and virtual, with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen expected to join Starmer and Zelenskiy in London.
Zelenskiy began his visit by meeting King Charles at Windsor Castle. The king has frequently expressed his support for Ukraine, notably hosting Zelenskiy at his private residence shortly after the Ukrainian leader’s stormy meeting with Trump in February.
(Reporting by Alistair Smout and William James; editing by Ed Osmond and Kevin Liffey)
