UK and EU in talks to speed up arms supplies to Ukraine ahead of potential ceasefire

He said this in an interview with Bloomberg.

According to Lammy, he discussed the possibility of providing more military support to Kyiv until a complete cessation of hostilities is achieved. 

In particular, the issue was discussed at a meeting in London with EU chief diplomat Kaja Kallas on Tuesday, March 18. This idea was also mentioned at a meeting of G7 foreign ministers in Canada last week.

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said that the goal is to strengthen Ukraine militarily and economically, emphasizing that peace is achieved through strength. He stated that Ukraine must be in the strongest possible position to prevent any resurgence of war. Lammy made this remark before the conclusion of a phone call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

The British Foreign Secretary called on Russia to agree to an unconditional ceasefire. He warned that Putin must not be allowed to use the ceasefire to rearm the Russian military before a lasting peace settlement is reached. 

The United Kingdom and Kyiv's other European allies are concerned that Russia will reject the peace agreement and use the ceasefire to rearm and further attack Ukraine.

“What we want is an end to all fighting, not a period in which Putin is able to re-arm and go again,” Lammy said. “No ifs, no buts, no conditions: Putin could simply declare an unconditional ceasefire on the basis of what was negotiated between the US, with our help, and the Ukrainians last week and we could begin the proper process of peace in Ukraine.”

• On March 11, the Ukrainian and American delegations met in Jeddah, following which Kyiv agreed to a 30-day ceasefire with Russia, and the United States agreed to immediately resume intelligence sharing and security assistance.
• Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin stated that Russia agrees with the proposal to cease hostilities in Ukraine but emphasized that “this must lead to a long-term peace.”
• Zelenskyy emphasized the importance of setting a clear deadline for the ceasefire agreement and suggested that it might take more than 30 days. According to him, if Russia violates a possible silence agreement, Ukraine will continue to defend itself.
• U.S. President Donald Trump announced that on Tuesday, March 18, he plans to hold a conversation with Russian leader Vladimir Putin regarding ending the war in Ukraine, as well as discussing territories and power plants.
• UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said that the Group of Seven countries will continue to put pressure on Russia to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine.