Gavin Grey: UK correspondent on the UK helping Ukraine and the US reach a ceasefire agreement

New reports reveal the UK had been working behind the scenes in helping the US and Ukraine to reach an agreement over a proposed ceasefire deal with Russia. 

Ukrainian President Zelensky has confirmed he's ready to accept an immediate 30-day ceasefire with Russia - but he says it's up to the US to get Russia on board.

 UK correspondent Gavin Grey says there's been efforts by the UK to get Ukraine and the US back on good terms again, and we're starting to see the results.

LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Right now, we're going to Devin Gray, who's our UK correspondent,
Gavin good evening either right now. This is on the
ceasefire between the deal that apparently the Americans have been
trying to broke it between the Ukraine and Russia. The
UK has also been working behind the scenes in this.

Speaker 2 (00:20):
That's what the government here has now revealed. It's saying
it's been really instrumental in trying to get the Americans
and the Ukrainians back in good favor with one another
after that disastrous press conference at the White House with
President Zelenski, jd Vance and Donald Trump, and certainly relations

(00:40):
do appear to be better. The BBC is reporting that
one of its sources has said that over the past
week there's been a concerted European effort led by Sekia
Stama to get America and Ukraine back in good favor.
So that potentially has been the background to what we're
now seeing with very much the focus and particular the
advice coming out of Europe that it's time to put

(01:03):
Russia on the back foot, and in effect, that is
what this announcement about a ceasefire has done, because now
what's Russia going to say, because if it refuses it,
then might that jeopardize its growing friendship as it were
with Donald Trump Mighty be so angry with them that
all his previous good words will be burnt. Or are

(01:24):
they going to sort of feel that they have to
accept it, in which case, at least we've got this
peace for thirty days, and in which case perhaps the
negotiations might continue afoot. No news from Russia yet. We
do know that on Saturday this weekend, Kirstama Prime Minister
will host a phone call of leaders. He's dubbed it
the Coalition of the Willing, and that is all about

(01:44):
this thought about peacekeeping efforts once peace is given in Ukraine,
and those efforts aimed at deterring the Russian president from
launching further incursions into Ukraine.

Speaker 1 (01:57):
Okay, Gevin, what more do we know about the man
who's been arrested over this ship collision.

Speaker 2 (02:04):
Well, we know he's a fifty nine year old man.
Police are saying very little, but it's been reported that
he is the captain of the cargo ship that was
one of the two ships involved in the collision. The
Portuguese flagged So Long cargo ship collided with the US
registered Stena Immaculate in the North Sea early Monday morning

(02:25):
our time, and the US registered Stena Immaculate was anchored
at the time in other words, stationary, and the cargo
ship plowed into it at quite high speed, and it
was daylight, as I mentioned, ten in the morning. There
were pretty good conditions in terms of visibility. So the
question is how come and the captain we are hearing

(02:47):
has been arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter, and
that is because there is one person still missing from
both crews. More than thirty were rescued, but one still missing,
and that person is now presumed dead. So the questioning continues.
The captain has been detained in custody and no doubt
still being questioned about what's been going on. Plus, of

(03:08):
course the analysis I dare say, of the various sort
of devices and black box type recordings that will be
on both ships at that time, but suffice to stay
still really concerning that one of the ships or both
the ships may sink. It is thought they are going
to try and slowly tug them using tugboats tow them

(03:29):
back into land. But yeah, big concern over what are
very very good fishing grounds and shellfish stocks and of
course all the BirdLife that uses that for breeding at
this particular time of year. So very very great dangers
of the environment at the moment.

Speaker 1 (03:44):
Absolutely now, no one would need really around the world
wouldbed an island at Greenland's election. But we are all
paying attention. We've got results due out soon.

Speaker 2 (03:55):
Yeah, we have. So the voting finished about eight hours ago,
so eleven hours in total of voting at seventy two
polling stations and as you say, forty four thousand people
eligible vote, and frankly, it rarely gets to the news. It's,
like I said, a local council election in terms of size,
but because of Donald Trump's repeated interest in acquiring Greenland,

(04:20):
it's very much now in the spotlight. We do expect
the results soon and this could be really pivotal towards
the future direction for the Arctic territory. And the reason
is this, five out of the six parties in this
general election are all suggesting that basically Greenland becomes independent

(04:40):
from Denmark. Denmark has controlled Greenland for about three centuries,
and yet there is a distance of nearly three thousand
kilometers apart. And really, although it governs its own domestic affairs.
Greenland's decisions on foreign defense policies are made in Copenhagen
in Denmark, and the five of those six parties that

(05:03):
want independence only really differ on how quickly that independence
should come about. So a great deal at stake here
and as I said, being watched around the world, and
Darius it particularly by a certain mister d Trump.

Speaker 1 (05:15):
Absolutely, Gevin, thank you very much for that. Devin Gray,
our UK correspondent.

Speaker 2 (05:19):
For more from Hither Duplas ey Alan Drive, listen live
to news talks. It'd be from four pm weekdays, or
follow the podcast on iHeartRadio