Burnham, Trump Agree to Keep Working Toward Ukraine-Russia Ceasefire

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham and US President Donald Trump agreed Monday to continue working toward a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia following Washington’s latest diplomatic push to restart negotiations to end Moscow’s war. The two leaders spoke by phone Monday afternoon, with Burnham reiterating Britain’s support for Ukraine and the recent US-led peace efforts, according to Downing Street.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “On Ukraine, the two leaders agreed on the need to continue working towards a ceasefire that prevented more loss of life,” the British government said in its readout of the call. The conversation came a day after Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner visited Kyiv for talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky after meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Saturday. The back-to-back meetings marked Washington’s latest effort to revive negotiations that had stalled despite several previous rounds of US-mediated diplomacy. Witkoff and Kushner said after their meetings that they were encouraged by new ideas raised during the talks and hoped another round of trilateral negotiations involving Ukraine, Russia and the US could be announced soon. Zelensky described his discussions with the American delegation as “very substantive,” saying they covered not only the diplomatic process but also security guarantees and Ukraine’s military and energy needs ahead of winter. Other Topics of Interest Koretskyi Demands Immediate Fix for Kyiv’s Transport Collapse Long lines and packed transport stops have become routine as air raid alerts repeatedly halt Kyiv’s metro service, Koretskyi said. No breakthrough was announced following either the Moscow or Kyiv meetings. The Kremlin said Monday that it did not rule out resuming trilateral talks involving Ukraine, Russia and the US, although spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was still too early to discuss possible dates or a venue. Peskov also declined to disclose details of the latest US proposals or identify which issues remained the most difficult. The latest diplomacy comes as fighting and Russian attacks on Ukraine continue despite efforts to restart negotiations. Kyiv has repeatedly said that any ceasefire must be backed by credible security guarantees and cannot simply provide Moscow with an opportunity to regroup before renewing its invasion. Britain has remained one of Ukraine’s major European military and diplomatic supporters. Burnham’s government recently approved the transfer of classified British intelligence and production blueprints connected to Anglo-French Storm Shadow cruise missiles to Ukraine, potentially allowing Kyiv to expand domestic production of long-range weapons. Monday’s Downing Street statement made clear that London intends to continue supporting both Ukraine and the US-led diplomatic process as Washington seeks to determine whether Moscow is prepared to move beyond talks toward an enforceable ceasefire. Burnham and Trump also discussed the Middle East during their call, including reopening the Strait of Hormuz, and efforts to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.