LONDON

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of not taking Türkiye-hosted peace negotiations seriously, following developments in talks between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul.

Speaking to reporters in Albania, Starmer criticized Putin's refusal to attend the talks, claiming it showed a lack of commitment to resolving the conflict.

"Well, I think that what we saw yesterday and overnight is yet more evidence that Putin is not serious about peace. He's been dragging his heels, and I think it's really important, therefore, that we have absolute unity with our allies," he said.

Starmer emphasized the importance of ongoing international cooperation and reaffirmed the UK's support for Ukraine.

"We'll be working on that again today to be clear that there must be a cease fire, but also to be clear that should there not be a cease fire, then we will act together in relation to sanctions. But for me, this is clear evidence that Putin doesn't seriously want peace," he said.

Reiterating his stance, the prime minister added: "He's dragging his heels, and that's why today is a really important opportunity to work with colleagues to make sure that we are absolutely united. And President Zelenskyy will be here today, so we will be discussing the situation with him."