Oxfordshire MP: "everyone welcomes the prospect of peace" in Ukraine
MP for Bicester and Woodstock Calum Miller the Foreign Affairs spokesperson for Lib Dems, says talks of a ceasefire do come with concerns.
Last updated 19th Mar 2025
An Oxfordshire MP says "everyone welcomes the prospect of peace" in Ukraine - but its not without its concerns.
Calum Miller - MP for Bicester and Woodstock is also Foreign Affairs spokesperson for Lib Dems and made the comments ahead of discussions on a ceasefire between the US and Russia today (Tuesday 18 March).
He says peace-talks needs to allow Ukraine to have confidence about the future:
"We as Liberal Democrats have been calling on Keir Starmer to work really closely with European allies to provide Ukraine with security guarantees so it can have confidence that it will not be terrorised by Russia again."
Donald Trump says "many elements" of a final deal concerning the war in Ukraine have been agreed with the Russian president, ahead of a call later.
The pair are set to speak on the phone later.
The White House says it's "never been closer" to a peace agreement.
Mr Putin, continues to resist an American-backed proposal for a 30-day ceasefire.
Calum Miller says "everyone welcomes the prospect of peace" - but its not without its concerns:
"I think a number of us have concerns to make sure that Ukraine is still able to exercise a decision about its territory and that the decision about Ukraine is on of a position of strength.
"The ball is in Russia's court now and it will really reveal if Vladimir Putin is serious about wanting to bring peace to the area or whether he wants to continue with an all out war with Ukraine."
European support for Ukraine
The EU's foreign affairs chief is to meet David Lammy and John Healey to talk about scaling up economic pressure on Russia and supporting Ukraine.
It comes as the UK and France continue their efforts to bring together a coalition of nations who would be willing to enforce a peace deal.
The Foreign Secretary and Defence Secretary are due to meet Kaja Kallas on Tuesday, with conversations expected to touch on EU-UK co-operation on Ukraine, as well as how they can put financial pressure on Moscow and ensure damage in Ukraine is paid for.
They are also expected to discuss action against cyberattacks and disinformation.
UK support for Ukraine
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer welcomed his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney to Downing Street on Monday.
Mr Carney, who replaced Justin Trudeau last week, was among international leaders on a phone call about Sir Keir's "coalition of the willing" to enforce a peace deal in Ukraine.
More than 30 countries are ready to be involved, either by providing troops or contributing logistics or background support, No 10 said.
Sir Keir still believes a US security guarantee is necessary for his European-led peacekeeping plan to operate successfully, Downing Street said.