U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy spoke to U.S. Vice President JD Vance on May 2, during which the two leaders discussed Russia's war against Ukraine.
Following intensified efforts to broker a peace settlement to end Russia's war against Ukraine, the U.S. has said it will scale back its role as a mediator. "We are not going to fly around the world at the drop of a hat... that is now between the two parties," State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said on May 1.
Lammy condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin for failing to engage in meaningful talks to end Russia's war against Ukraine.
"Putin has stalled and hampered discussions for long enough. The world is losing patience," Lammy said.
The U.S. and the U.K. are committed to ending Russia's war against Ukraine, Lammy said. Ukraine's allies met in London on April 23, where they discussed reaching a peace settlement.
"(W)e reaffirmed our shared desire for an end to Russia’s barbaric invasion of Ukraine and our commitment to a lasting peace," Lammy said.
Lammy and U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey met with Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov at the London meeting on April 23.
"We are grateful to the U.K. for its leadership and support. We will discuss ways to strengthen Ukraine and guarantee long-term peace and security," Sybiha said.
The Kremlin has shown signs it is unwilling to move forward on a peace deal with Ukraine. Russian authorities have listed maximalist demands in ceasefire negotiations brokered by the U.S.
Putin is insisting that any deal to end Russia's war against Ukraine must include full Russian control of four Ukrainian oblasts that Moscow only partially occupies, three Moscow-based sources familiar with the talks told Bloomberg.
Kateryna Denisova
(Updated: )
