British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy voiced “strong resolve” for peace in Ukraine and said there is a viable path to a cease-fire, ahead of high-stakes talks between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Meeting in London on Wednesday, the two leaders expressed cautious optimism, with Starmer’s office stressing that any truce depends on Putin taking “concrete steps” to prove he is serious about ending the war.
Zelenskyy, in a separate statement, said discussions focused on the security guarantees needed to make any deal “truly durable if the United States succeeds in pressing Russia to stop the killing.”
Starmer hosted Zelenskyy for a private breakfast at No. 10 Downing Street on Thursday, as Europe braces for the Trump-Putin meeting set for Friday in Alaska – a rare direct encounter that could reshape the war’s trajectory.
European leaders are hopeful about the potential for a peace deal after a joint call with Trump on Wednesday, during which he reportedly told them his goal for the summit was to secure a cease-fire. But concerns linger over the prospect of Kyiv being excluded from negotiations over its own future and pressured to cede territory, after the U.S. leader suggested any agreement may need to involve a “swapping of land.” Ukraine has already rejected any proposal that would compromise its borders.
