Ukraine war live: Starmer and Trump discuss sanctions ahead of crucial Putin call – The Independent

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Trump says ‘hopefully … a ceasefire will take place’ after his calls on Monday with Putin and Zelensky
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Sir Keir Starmer and fellow European leaders have spoken to Donald Trump about a Ukraine ceasefire and further sanctions on Russia, ahead of the US president’s upcoming call to Vladimir Putin.
After peace talks in Istanbul ended without progress on Friday, Mr Trump announced he would speak to Mr Putin on Monday, followed by Volodymyr Zelensky and Nato leaders, in what could be a pivotal set of conversations after months of stalled attempts.
Vowing to try and “stop the bloodbath”, the US president said: “Hopefully it will be a productive day. A ceasefire will take place, and this very violent war, a war that should have never happened, will end.”
In a boost for Kyiv, Downing Street said Sir Keir Starmer – along with France’s Emmanuel Macron, Italy’s Giorgia Meloni and Germany’s Friedrich Merz – spoke to Mr Trump on Sunday night ahead of the US president’s call to Moscow.
A No 10 spokesperson said: “The leaders discussed the need for an unconditional ceasefire and for President Putin to take peace talks seriously.
“They also discussed the use of sanctions if Russia failed to engage seriously in a ceasefire and peace talks. The leaders looked forward to speaking again soon.”
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