Nato ministers including UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy will meet in Turkey as Volodymyr Zelensky said he will be waiting in the country to see if Vladimir Putin will engage in face-to-face peace talks.
Britain and its military allies will be working to “step up” their collective security at the gathering in Antalya, Mr Lammy said, while the world holds its breath for a possible encounter between the Ukrainian and Russian leaders.
Mr Zelensky told reporters in Kyiv that he will be in Ankara on Thursday to conduct negotiations.
He will meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Reports in Russia on Wednesday night suggested Mr Putin would not be part of a Kremlin delegation attending the talks.
Speaking before the Nato foreign ministers’ meeting, which will take place on the same day, Mr Lammy praised the Ukrainian president’s “commitment to peace” and readiness to enter negotiations.
The Foreign Secretary said: “Today, President Zelensky is in Turkey in a further demonstration of his commitment to peace, ready to enter talks direct with Russia and continuing to push for a full ceasefire as a first crucial step.
“As myself and my fellow Nato allies also travel to Turkey, we are united alongside Ukraine in our determination to secure a just and lasting peace. We are working to deliver more for our collective security and bring this barbaric war to an end.
At an informal meeting of the North Atlantic Council, Mr Lammy will update allies on UK steps to protect Euro-Atlantic security and “to force Putin’s hand”, the Foreign Office said.
The Foreign Secretary hosted counterparts from France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Poland and the EU on Monday, discussing the future of Ukraine after a diplomatic blitz over the weekend by world leaders.
In a statement released after talks by the Weimar+ group of nations at Lancaster House in central London, the foreign ministers of the countries present said Russia “has not shown any serious intent to make progress”.
In an effort to pressure Mr Putin, they added: “It must do so without delay. We joined Ukraine in calling for an immediate, full, unconditional 30-day ceasefire to create space for talks on a just, comprehensive and lasting peace.”
Ukraine’s foreign affairs minister Andrii Sybiha joined the meeting by videolink.
Sir Keir Starmer travelled to Kyiv on Saturday alongside his French, German and Polish counterparts for talks with Mr Zelensky about plans for the so-called “coalition of the willing”.
Military officers from about 30 countries have been involved in drawing up plans to enforce a potential peace in Kyiv, though prospects for a truce remain distant as Moscow continues to resist a US-backed 30-day ceasefire.
Speaking at a press conference in the Ukrainian capital, the Prime Minister said European allies “together with the US” are “calling Putin out”, urged him to accept the 30-day unconditional truce and pledged to ramp up sanctions further if he “turns his back on peace”.
Mr Zelensky said Donald Trump has been invited to the talks in Turkey but the US leader, who is on a four-day trip to the Middle East, has not confirmed his presence.
Washington has been applying pressure on both sides to come to the table since Mr Trump took office in January with a promise to end the war.
Russia has said it would send a delegation to Istanbul without preconditions, but Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has refused to say whether Mr Putin will travel there himself.
Meanwhile, Defence Secretary John Healey will meet his German counterpart Boris Pistorius in Berlin on Thursday to push forward the so-called Trinity House Agreement to boost defence co-operation between the two countries.
It comes as the UK and Germany confirmed they will work together to develop a new long-range strike capability with a range of more than 2,000 kilometres (1,242 miles).
The precision deep-strike capability will be among the most advanced systems designed by Britain, the Ministry of Defence said.
Discussions will focus on a joint procurement programme for Sting Ray torpedoes for P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft, which the Government hopes will improve the UK and Germany’s ability to counter underwater threats.
