Time running out for Putin as he's accused of delaying tactics over peace deal
Foreign Secretary David Lammy and his Polish counterpart have accused Vladimir Putin of using delaying tactics over a peace deal with Ukraine.
Speaking at the meeting of Nato foreign ministers in Brussels, Mr Lammy urged the alliance to increase pressure on Russia and step up defence spending to make Nato "stronger, fairer and more lethal".
Polish foreign minister Radek Sikorski warned time was running out for Moscow to show it was serious about peace.
Mr Sikorski said additional sanctions could be imposed on Russia - or more US military aid could be given to Ukraine - if Mr Putin continued to drag his heels.
Mr Lammy, meanwhile, said raising defence spending was the collective duty of Nato members to improve safety in the face of long-term and interconnected threats from Russia and its enablers.
"Keeping our country safe is the Government's first duty, and Nato is the cornerstone of our security, both at home and abroad," he said.
"That's why we have announced the biggest investment to defence spending since the Cold War.
"Allies must spend more, produce more and deliver more on defence so Nato can become stronger, fairer and more lethal – boosting our collective defence ensures that Nato is ready for the threats and challenges we face."
The Foreign Secretary also discussed the practical planning undertaken by the UK, France and other allies to prepare and deploy as a Coalition of the Willing in the event of a peace deal with Ukraine.
Stopping the war
US President Donald Trump commented that there was "good co-operation" between Russia and Ukraine as the US mediates ceasefire discussions with Mr Putin and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky's officials.
Mr Trump, who was speaking from the White House, said: "We're going to get it [the war] stopped.
"It's a senseless war that would have never happened if I was president and it shouldn't be allowed to go on."
It comes after the US said that both Russia and Ukraine agreed to halt hostilities in the Black Sea following their separate talks aimed at reaching a ceasefire.
But attacks on Ukraine have not stopped. Mr Zelensky said four people died in the wake of a recent missile strike on Kryvyi Rih.
Mr Lammy called on allies to pile more economic pressure on Putin and Russia to get him to the negotiating table.
He spoke about the shared threats and challenges with counterparts from Nato, as well as the EU and Nato's Indo-Pacific partners Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea.
This included the challenges China poses to both Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic security, especially its role in enabling Russia's illegal war.
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