European ministers speak in London ahead of Ukraine talks

European ministers speak in London about possible next steps towards achieving "peace" in Ukraine, two days after Kyiv's allies demanded that Moscow accept a ceasefire. 

Representatives from France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and the EU will join Foreign Secretary David Lammy in London for a meeting of the so-called "Weimar+" group. The coalition was set up in February in response to shifting US policy towards the war between Ukraine and Russia, and European security in general under President Donald Trump.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday proposed direct negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul on May 15, but did not respond to the European call for a 30-day ceasefire. The London meeting will be the sixth gathering of the Weimar+ group and the first hosted by the UK.