Starmer and Zelenskyy 'welcomed' Trump's new Ukraine ceasefire deadline for Russia
In a call on Friday, the leaders agreed 'it was clear Russia was the only barrier to peace'.
It comes as Trump said on Tuesday he was giving Russian President Vladimir Putin a shorter deadline – August 8 – for peace efforts to make progress, or Washington would impose punitive sanctions and tariffs.
'The prime minister began by sharing his condolences for the deadly attack on Kyiv in recent days,' according to the readout.
'It was a bitter reminder of the human cost of the awful conflict perpetrated by Russia, Starmer added.
'The prime minister then updated on President Trump's visit to the UK, and both leaders welcomed the president's new deadline on Russia to stop their stalling tactics and make meaningful progress on a peace deal.
'It was clear Russia was the only barrier to peace, the leaders agreed.'
Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian president, said on X that he had spoken to Starmer.
'Keir expressed his condolences over the deaths of our people as a result of Russia's attack on Kyiv,' Zelenskyy said.
'It was an absolutely vile and brutal missile and drone strike that took the lives of 31 people, including five children.
"Our conversation today focused on how to stop the killings, provide greater protection for our people, and force Russia to end this war.'
Zelenskyy said Russia 'genuinely fears' sanctions, 'no matter how hard it pretends that it couldn't care less'.
"Sanctions are undoubtedly working – and there will be more. We are working with everyone on coordinated restrictive measures," he added.
'We discussed our cooperation with American partners, particularly the coordination of actions with President Trump and possible formats for peace negotiations at the level of leaders.'
Zelenskyy and Starmer also discussed battlefield technology.
'We discussed the urgent need to scale up drone production, especially interceptor drones,' the Ukrainian president said.
'There is a specific financial need, and we agreed to find a solution.'
Number 10 said Starmer 'updated on the strong progress being made at rapid pace' and 'welcomed the passing of Ukraine's anti-corruption bill earlier this week'.
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