London, Nov 18 (AP) British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Sunday that he has no plan to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin as he pledged support for Ukraine as the UK's top priority at this week's G20 Summit.

Speaking with reporters on the way to the meeting in Brazil, Starmer said he wouldn't speak to Putin as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz did on Friday.

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The call between the two leaders, which the Kremlin said was initiated by Germany, was the first publicly announced conversation between Putin and a major head of a Western power in almost two years.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticised the call and said it would only make Russia less isolated.

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Ukraine's allies fear that the election of President-elect Donald Trump, who has questioned US aid sent to Kyiv and spoken favourably about Putin, could alter support from Washington, its biggest backer.

Starmer said allies have to double down now to support Ukraine for as long as it takes.

"We are coming up to the 1,000th day of this conflict on Tuesday," Starmer said. "That's 1,000 days of Russian aggression, 1,000 days of huge impact and sacrifice in relation to the Ukrainian people and recently we've seen the addition of North Korean troops working with Russians which does have serious implications."

The UK has committed 12.8 billion pounds (USD 16.15 billion) in aid to Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)