Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in London as he looks to gather support for Ukrainian security interests from allies a day before a crucial US-Russia summit aimed at making progress toward ending Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Zelenskyy arrived at 10 Downing Street, the prime minister’s residence in central London, on August 14 after spending the previous day in Berlin and attending a video conference of several major European leaders who fear they are being sidelined by US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.
Starmer on August 13 said the summit — to be held on August 15 — would be “hugely important” and could be a “viable” path to a cease-fire in Ukraine.
Zelenskyy said he warned Trump during an August 13 call that Putin was “bluffing” about his desire to end the war.
Trump has warned Russia of “very severe consequences” if it doesn’t halt its war against Ukraine, but fears remain that the exclusion of Kyiv and Brussels in the talks could sideline their desire for the protection of fundamental European and Ukrainian security interests.
Trump gave no details on what consequences Moscow could face if it doesn’t put an end to more than 3 1/2 years of war in Ukraine, but he said the aim of the talks, to be held at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson just outside Anchorage, Alaska, is “to end the war.”
Trump also said that if his meeting with Putin goes well he would like to have a follow-up with both Putin and Zelenskyy.
He gave no time frame for such a meeting and added Russia would face consequences if Putin does not agree to stop the war.
Trump has scheduled a news conference for 1 p.m. Washington time to comment on the talks and what he hopes to achieve.
Can Trump-Putin Talks Lead To A Cease-Fire?
The talks between Trump and Putin are aimed at finding a path to end the conflict, the biggest in Europe since World War II. Trump has said both sides will have to swap land to end intense fighting that has cost tens of thousands of lives on both sides and displaced millions of Ukrainians.
Appearing to be on the outside looking in ahead of the talks, European leaders and Zelenskyy have been scrambling to make their voices heard.
Washington appears to be preparing Kyiv and Moscow for major compromises to end the war, with US Vice President JD Vance warning any peace deal will likely leave both sides “unhappy.”
But French President Emmanuel Macron said Trump was “very clear” in the August 13 call that he wants to achieve a cease-fire at the summit and that Trump had been clear that “territorial issues relating to Ukraine…will only be negotiated by the Ukrainian president.”
Trump will also “seek a future trilateral meeting” involving Zelenskyy, Macron said.
“There are currently no serious territorial exchange schemes on the table…. I think that’s a very important point in this regard. And we hope that it can be held in Europe, in a neutral country that is acceptable to all parties,” he added.
If Trump’s insistence on involving Ukraine is confirmed, it would help ease fears among Ukraine and its allies that leaders of the two superpowers could reach an accord that sells out Europe’s and Ukraine’s security interests and proposes giving Ukrainian territory to Moscow.
“Trump’s thinking is apparently closer aligned with that of the Europeans than first feared by some,” one European official told RFE/RL after the call.
Russia has consistently given the idea of a meeting with Zelenskyy the cold shoulder, suggesting it should only happen once the sides are close to signing a peace deal, not just a cease-fire agreement.
That moment seems far off given the huge gap between the Russian and Ukrainian positions that persists on several major issues, including territory and security, despite three rounds of direct talks in Turkey since mid-May.
The talks come at a pivotal moment, with Trump increasingly frustrated with Putin and the Russian president showing no signs of bending on the Kremlin’s maximalist demands. Trump and Putin have held six phone calls, and the White House’s lead envoy has traveled to Moscow at least three times.
The decision to meet Putin face-to-face — something Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, refused to do following the invasion — reflects Trump’s belief that his relationship with the Russian leader will yield a durable peace agreement.
