Peter Mandelson (Photo: British Embassy Washington DC)

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has proposed talks in order to question Ukraine's sovereignty. Therefore, to achieve real peace, it is necessary to increase pressure on Russia. This opinion was expressed by the British Ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson in an interview with the CBS television channel.

Mandelson considers the idea of direct negotiations proposed by US President Donald Trump "constructive", but the Russian dictator's counter-proposals "frivolous".

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"He wants these negotiations to question the very existence of Ukraine as a free, democratic and sovereign state," the ambassador said.

He recalled that after Putin's statement about the meeting in Istanbul, Ukraine was attacked by "Russian munitions and drones that are killing the Ukrainian people."

"This seems frivolous to us, and we are very glad that the Ukrainians accepted this ceasefire, as the US president asked them to do," Mandelson said.

He reiterated the UK's position that negotiations are only possible with a 30-day ceasefire.

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"I believe that the US presidential administration now needs to think about how it is going to achieve its goal of peace. This goal can only be achieved when Russia, Putin, implement the proposals of Zelensky and the Ukrainians, namely a 30-day ceasefire, during which proper negotiations can take place," the ambassador said.

Answering a journalist's question about whether the US is ready to increase pressure on Russia, Mandelson answered in the affirmative.

"Senator Lindsey Graham has a bill, and I think the administration of the US president will want to assess the timeliness and appropriateness of supporting this bill," he said.