Keir Starmer warns Putin must 'pay the price' after shameful peace talk snub
Keir Starmer will meet around 40 leaders at the European Political Community summit in Tirana, Albania, today, where they will discuss ways to turn the screws on Putin's war machine
Keir Starmer has said Vladimir Putin must "pay the price for dodging peace" as European leaders seek to turn the screws on his war machine.
The Prime Minister will meet dozens of his counterparts in Albanian capital Tirana today after the Russian leader refused to attend peace talks with Ukraine. Representatives from around 40 nations will look at ways to toughen sanctions against Moscow at the European Political Community summit.
The Russian economy is in serious trouble after a wave of sanctions, with its non-defence sector in recession, and Mr Starmer called on Europe to go further. He said: 'People in Ukraine and across the world have paid the price for Putin's aggression in Ukraine and across Europe, now he must pay the price for avoiding peace.
'Putin's tactics to dither and delay, while continuing to kill and cause bloodshed across Ukraine, is intolerable. For the past three years, Ukraine has been fighting for peace and security, while Russia has sent thousands of young men and women to their deaths and compromised global stability.
'Alongside the US and more than 30 other partners, we have been clear that we will not stand for Russia kicking a ceasefire down the road. A full, unconditional ceasefire must be agreed and if Russia is unwilling to come to the negotiating table, Putin must pay the price.'
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to join leaders for the crucial summit. Mr Starmer is making a two-day trip to the Balkan state, becoming the first UK leader to make an official visit.
No10 said leaders will discuss further sanctions agaiunst Russia - with focus on energy revenues. Europe will look at oil exports, the Kremlin's biggest source of tax revenues. Further measures are likely to cause "further pain", with revenues already a third lower than they were in 2022 thanks to Western sanctions.
Putin angered world leaders by failing to turn up to peace talks in Turkey on Thursday. Mr Zelensky had called for a face-to-face meeting with the Russian leader, their first since the invasion in 2022.
Mr Starmer will lead a security roundtable with the Prime Minister of Sweden, Ulf Kristersson. He will also speak to leaders from France, Germany, Italy, Poland and Ukraine about latest efforts with the US to end the bloodshed.
It comes after Mr Starmer last week announced the UK's largest ever package of sanctions on Russia's Shadow Fleet. The sanctions will apply further pressure on the Russian economy.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
21 minutes ago
- The Independent
Babcock shines but FTSE 100 gives up early gains
The FTSE 100 closed lower on Wednesday, well below early highs, despite a stellar showing from Babcock International after well-received results. The FTSE 100 index closed down 40.24 points, 0.5%, at 8,718.75. It had earlier traded as high as 8,792.43. The FTSE 250 ended 28.16 points lower, 0.1%, at 21,298.04, and the AIM All-Share fell 2.09 points, 0.3%, at 760.45. In European equities on Wednesday, the CAC 40 in Paris closed down 0.8%, and the DAX 40 in Frankfurt ended 0.6% lower. In London, Babcock International leapt 11% after it raised medium-term guidance, increased the dividend and launched its first-ever share buyback as it said it stands to benefit from increased spending on defence. Babcock said it expects to achieve its previous medium-term target of an underlying operating margin of 8% in financial 2026, 'at least one year earlier than we anticipated'. Underlying operating margin in the financial year to March 31 improved to 7.5% from 5.4%. Babcock's new medium-term underlying operating margin aim is 'at least 9%', up from 'at least' 8% before. Babcock reported pre-tax profit of £329.1 million in the financial year to March 31, surging 52% from £216.7 million a year prior. Revenue was 11% higher at £4.83 billion from £4.39 billion. Growth, it said, was driven by Nuclear and Marine. 'This is a new era for defence,' declared chief executive officer David Lockwood. Mr Lockwood said the strong financial performance in financial 2025, with 'operational momentum across the business', has enabled the firm to 'upgrade our medium-term guidance, increase our dividend and launch a £200 million share buyback programme for the first time in the company's history'. Defence and aerospace stocks Rolls-Royce and BAE Systems rose 0.8% and 1.0% respectively as Nato agreed to ramp up defence spending. The deal hatched by Nato sees countries promise to dedicate 3.5% of GDP to core military spending by 2035, and a further 1.5% to broader security-related areas such as infrastructure. On Wall Street, markets were mixed at the time of the London close on Tuesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.2%, the S&P 500 was flat, and the Nasdaq Composite was up 0.3%. The yield on the US 10-year Treasury was quoted at 4.32%, stretched from 4.30%. The yield on the US 30-year Treasury was quoted at 4.86%, widened from 4.85%. The pound was little changed at 1.3622 dollars at the time of the London equities close on Wednesday, compared to 1.3621 dollars on Tuesday. The euro stood higher at 1.1626 dollars against 1.1621 dollars. Against the yen, the dollar was trading at 145.60 yen, up compared to 144.84 yen. Back in London, WPP led the blue-chip fallers, down 3.3%, as Barclays downgraded to 'underweight' and Goldman Sachs lowered its share price target. On the FTSE 250, Moonpig fell 4.1% ahead of full-year results on Thursday, while Tritax Big Box REIT fell 2.9% after striking a cash and shares deal to acquire Warehouse REIT, which rose 5.6%. Tritax Big Box will pay 47.2p in cash, plus 0.4236 of one of its own shares, for each share in Warehouse REIT, in a deal which values its fellow industrial warehouse investor at £485.2 million. THG leapt 13% after disclosing a 'much improved' second quarter in its core Beauty and Nutrition arms, as it returned to revenue growth. The Manchester-based retail firm, behind brands such as Lookfantastic and Myprotein, said the group returned to constant currency revenue growth in the quarter 'underpinned by a strong June exit rate supporting unchanged full-year 2025 guidance'. Andrew Wade, analyst at Jefferies, said it was a 'solid' update and 'with momentum building and forecasts stabilised', adding he sees 'clear upside' to the share price. Mr Wade said financial 2026 'looks set to be the year in which THG demonstrates its underlying potential – we anticipate both Beauty and Nutrition will be in robust growth, and this should drop through to a year of strong cash generation – the template for future years'. Elsewhere, Ultimate Products shares slumped 30% as it warned that it expects full-year adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation below consensus, with sales weighted toward lower margin product categories. The Manchester, England-based owner of homeware brands including Salter and Beldray said it expects an adjusted Ebitda for the year to the end of July of £12.5 million, against a consensus of £14.3 million. It would also be below the £18.0 million it achieved in financial 2024. Brent oil steadied on Wednesday after heavy falls the day before, trading at 68.18 dollars a barrel, up from 68.08 dollars on Tuesday. Gold was quoted higher at 3,323.77 dollars an ounce against 3,314.07 dollars. The biggest risers on the FTSE 100 were Babcock International, up 111.0 pence at 1,144.0p, JD Sports, up 1.74p at 78.4p, Fresnillo, up 29.0p at 1,439.0p, Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust, up 17.5p at 1,022.5p, and Endeavour Mining, up 34.0p at 2,246.0p. The biggest fallers on the FTSE 100 were WPP, down 17.0p at 505.0p, easyjet, down 13.8p at 525.2p, Anglo American, down 49.5p at 2,005.5p, Berkeley Group, down 86.0p at 3,816.0p and Croda, down 67.0p at 2,993.0p. Thursday's global economic calendar has US weekly initial jobless claims data, quarterly GDP and personal consumption expenditures figures and durable goods orders figures. Thursday's local corporate calendar has full-year results from electricals retailer Currys, and trading statements from outsourcer Serco and automotive distributor Inchcape.
Wales Online
33 minutes ago
- Wales Online
Abandoned UK airport to reopen offering cheap Ryanair and easyJet flights to Europe
Abandoned UK airport to reopen offering cheap Ryanair and easyJet flights to Europe It's currently undergoing a major refurbishment Branded Manston, Kent International Airport (Image: KMG / SWNS ) An airport which has been out of operation for a decade is now set to make a comeback, offering budget flights to some of Europe's prime destinations. Manston Airport in Kent is the former Royal Air Force base, known for its significant role in both World Wars, is currently undergoing extensive refurbishment and is expected to reopen in 2028. Initially, the revived airport will concentrate on cargo operations, but there are plans to introduce passenger services in due course. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here Tony Freudmann, a main board director at RiverOak Strategic Partners, the company controlling the airport, expressed optimism about the return of passenger services to the BBC, stating they have plans to attract short-haul carriers to popular European destinations. The refurbishment of Manston is projected to cost a staggering £500 million, including new terminals and upgraded runways. The airport boasts a single runway that measures 2,748 meters (9,016 feet) in length and is notably wide at 60 metres, designed to accommodate emergency landings for Concorde and the Space Shuttle. If the cargo side of the operation proves to be successful, passenger routes to countries such as the Netherlands, Spain, Cyprus and Malta could be introduced. It was reported three years ago that the airport's owners were in discussions with budget airlines including Ryanair, easyJet and Wizz Air, reports the Mirror. Article continues below Fascinating pictures of a closed Manston Airport, Kent (Image: KMG / SWNS ) At the time, Mr Freudmann told KentOnline: "Looking at the way the passenger market is going, we are confident we can persuade one or more low-cost carriers to base their planes here. "It does not work for us if they fly in just once a day because that is not economic. If they base three or four planes at Manston, we will have rotations three or four times a day, as they have at Southend. "That will cover our costs and bring passenger footfall through the terminal all day and every day. We will reinstate the twice daily KLM service to Amsterdam Schiphol that we had before and that will give business people in particular access to almost anywhere in the world." Despite there being no further updates on this endeavour since then, with RiverOak not responding to Mirror's request for an update this month, the bustle at nearby hubs like Luton and Stansted could indicate ample demand for more passenger flights in the area. Reflecting on the steps required to launch services, a message from earlier in the year on the RiverOak website said: "Opening an airport – even one like Manston which already has in place a full-length runway, taxiways and airport buildings – takes a huge amount of preparation and planning first and so it will be many months before we are ready to welcome construction teams on site". Survey work is set to commence this year and the next at the airport site, with ambitions to finalise "the airport master plan – a process which we expect to conclude in early 2026." A public consultation on potential flight paths will also be initiated during this period. "In early 2028, we expect construction works to be complete and recruitment for operational roles to begin to allow us to assemble the team and begin detailed preparations for reopening later on in 2028," the statement continued. However, the plans to refurbish the airport have faced some significant opposition, with groups like Don't Save Manston Airport highlighting the site's previous commercial failures and raising concerns about environmental impacts from increased aviation capacity. RiverOak, which acquired the site for £14million has indicated intentions to initiate operations with five cargo flights daily. Despite recommendations for refusal by planners, the redevelopment of Manston Airport was approved in 2023. The Planning Inspectorate expressed reservations about the airport's ability to offer services that are "additional to, or different from" those at other airports, its potential detrimental effects on the environment, and the likelihood of increased traffic on local roads. Since its closure in 2015 following years of financial difficulties, Manston Airport has been repurposed as a lorry park to ease temporary cross-Channel traffic congestion. The final flight to leave Manston was bound for Amsterdam on 9 April 2014. Formerly Kent's sole large airport, the region is home to smaller aviation facilities including Rochester Airport and Lydd Airport. The developers of the new scheme have claimed that up to 650 construction jobs and an additional 2,000 permanent jobs will be created when the project is finished, per their website. They said: "The project requires no government funding and has attracted several international investors who are prepared to invest £800 million in this deprived part of the country." Although the development bypassed local planning bodies due to being classified as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project, it faced legal hurdles. After the Secretary of State for Transport gave the green light in 2020 for Manston to reopen as a freight hub, the approval was initially quashed, leading to resubmission and subsequent reapproval, according to the Kent Messenger. In World War II, Manston airfield nearly met with destruction from heavy bombing and played host to numerous undetonated explosives. Article continues below Positioned near the battlefront, the site was used as an emergency landing strip for badly damaged planes.
North Wales Chronicle
37 minutes ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Nato fully committed to Ukraine, PM insists, despite no condemnation of Russia
The position among the alliance has 'not changed on Ukraine', the Prime Minister said. A communique released on Wednesday after a meeting of leaders in the Hague refers to Nato's unity 'in the face of profound security threats and challenges, in particular the long-term threat posed by Russia to Euro-Atlantic security'. It also reaffirms support for Ukraine, but does not explicitly condemn the Russian invasion. Donald Trump has taken a softer approach towards Russian leader Vladimir Putin than other Western leaders in his fraught attempts to negotiate an end to the war, leading to speculation that is why explicit criticism of the invasion did not feature in the communique. Asked if Mr Trump did not want Nato to condemn his Russian counterpart in the summit's concluding statement, Sir Keir said: 'On the question of Ukraine, the position in Nato has not changed, nor has my position changed. 'In fact, over the last couple of days, I would say in my discussions with leaders, there's been a real resolve that now is the time to push again to get Putin to the table for the unconditional ceasefire.' The communique also referred to every Nato member state's 'ironclad commitment to collective defence', enshrined in Nato's Article 5. This commits all members of the alliance to come to the defence of each other if attacked. Allies have signed up to spend 5% of their economic output on defence, comprising 3.5% spending on core defence by 2035, and 1.5% on security and resilience measures. Sir Keir said the UK was on track to spend 4.1% of GDP on defence by 2027, based on this definition, a figure largely boosted by spending towards the 1.5% commitment. The Government is seeking to characterise the outcome of the summit as positive and purposeful. As he travelled to the summit earlier this week, Mr Trump had appeared to pour cold water on America's commitment to the collective defence of Nato allies. He told reporters on the flight from Washington that it would depend 'on your definition' of Article 5, when asked if he would commit to collective defence. But speaking to broadcasters on the way into the summit, the Prime Minister said allies were 'absolutely committed to the importance of Nato, particularly in a very volatile world'. And before the meeting of the North Atlantic Council on Wednesday, Sir Keir appeared to be in deep conversation with Mr Trump. Sir Keir's message was repeated by Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte, who opened the summit meeting with the words: 'Our joint commitment to Article 5, that an attack on one is an attack on all, sends a powerful message.' Standing next to Mr Trump, the secretary-general praised the US president for bringing about a commitment from the alliance to spend 5% of GDP on defence, telling him: 'You made this possible.' Earlier, Mr Rutte had described the US president as 'a man of strength' as well as a 'man of peace', praising him for securing a ceasefire between Israel and Iran. Mr Trump also compared Israel and Iran to 'two kids in a school yard' fighting. 'They fight like hell. You can't stop them. Let them fight for about two, three minutes. Then it's easier to stop them,' he said. Mr Rutte then appeared to compare Mr Trump to a 'daddy' figure to the warring Middle Eastern parties. 'Then daddy has to sometimes use strong language,' the secretary-general said. Alongside the commitment to increase defence spending, the UK has also announced its intention to purchase 12 new fighter jets capable of carrying nuclear weapons. Billed as 'the biggest strengthening' of Britain's nuclear posture 'in a generation', the move will see the jets committed to a Nato mission that would see US nuclear bombs fitted to allied aircraft. It follows a recommendation from the strategic defence review, published earlier in June, to begin negotiations with the US and Nato on joining the alliance's nuclear mission.
