UK PM reveals whether he’ll call Putin

Keir Starmer says he does not plan to follow the German chancellor’s example and speak with the Russian leader

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said he has no plans to call Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Starmer spoke with journalists on board a government plane on Sunday en route to the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro for the G20 summit.

When asked whether he would follow the example of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and hold a phone conversation with the Russian leader, the prime minister replied: “it is a matter for Chancellor Scholz who he speaks to. I have no plans to speak to Putin.”

Starmer said the “top of my agenda” at the G20 summit will be urging the group’s leaders to “double down on shoring up our support for Ukraine.” 

The prime minister was also asked whether he expects US President-elect Donald Trump, who has been skeptical about further aid to Kiev, to honor any decisions made in Brazil.

“There are really important issues right here, right now when it comes to Ukraine that I think are well worth us [discussing], and it is important that we do pursue,” he said.

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After Scholz called Putin on Friday in their first direct contact in almost two years, Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky accused the German Chancellor of opening up a “Pandora’s box” and undermining Western efforts to isolate the Russian leader. “Now there may be other conversations, other calls,” he said.

Scholz defended his decision to talk to Putin before flying to Rio de Janeiro on Sunday, saying that “it was important to tell him that he cannot count on support from Germany, Europe and many others in the world waning.” 

The German chancellor described the conversation as “detailed,” but stressed that it “contributed to a recognition that little has changed in the Russian president’s views of the war – and that is not good news.” 

The Kremlin earlier commented on the phone call, saying Putin told Scholz that the conflict between Moscow and Kiev was “a direct result of NATO’s long-standing aggressive policy aimed at creating an anti-Russian bridgehead on Ukrainian territory.”

READ MORE: Kremlin comments on Putin-Scholz call

The Russian leader made it clear that Moscow remains ready for peace talks with Ukraine, but that any potential settlements should take into account Russia’s security interests, as well as the new territorial realities, and “eliminate the root causes of the conflict,” the statement read.