UK defence minister John Healey. Photo: Collected

BERLIN, May  15, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - UK defence minister John Healey said on
Thursday that Ukraine's allies "need to act" and "put pressure on Putin", amid
uncertainty over highly anticipated talks between Russia and Ukraine in Turkey.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin has so far swerved the talks in Istanbul,
the first direct negotiations aiming to end the war in Ukraine since 2022.

Speaking after a meeting with his German counterpart Boris Pistorius in
Berlin, Healey urged further sanctions on Russia, adding: "We need to put
pressure on Putin that helps bring him to the negotiating table."

"We are ready to do that as leading European nations," he said, pointing to
commitments made by the leaders of Britain, France, Germany and Poland on a
visit to Kyiv last week.

"There is no victory in sight for Putin in Ukraine," Healey said, adding:
"Now is the time for him... to negotiate and to put an end to this fighting."
Pistorius agreed that "Putin has the power to end the war, he could travel
to Istanbul and negotiate, he could order a ceasefire".

He said that he had noticed "a change in tone" from US officials in
reaction to Russia's latest moves but cautioned that "we will have to wait to
see if this is sustainable and what consequences it has".