The Prime Minister met Volodymyr Zelensky, Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz in No10, hours after a Russian drone strike on a storage centre for nuclear fuel close to Chernobyl22:00, 07 Jun 2026Updated 22:01, 07 Jun 2026Keir Starmer has praised Volodymyr Zelensky's efforts to end the brutal war with Russia - and condemned Vladimir Putin's continued missile and drone attacks on cities.‌The Prime Minister met with the Ukrainian President along with France's Emmanuel Macron and Germany's Friedrich Merz in No10. In a joint statement, they set out a five-point path to peace after Mr Zelensky said Ukraine "will not silently die".‌The allies met as Vladimir Putin's forces continued to pound Ukraine after efforts to end the war stalled. On Friday Putin rejected a proposal by Mr Zelensky for face-to-face talks, claiming he saw "no point" in a meeting.‌Earlier a Russian drone strike damaged a storage centre for spent nuclear fuel nine miles from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Mr Zelensky branded it an "extremely despicable Russian attack”.The British, French and German leaders outlined five steps to peace - starting with an immediate and complete ceasefire. They called for negotiations to begin, stating: "International borders must not be changed by force, and Ukraine’s sovereign right to choose its own security arrangements and alliances must be fully respected."‌Thirdly, they said, Ukraine must have "robust and legally binding" security guarantees - including the deployment of a multinational force. They said Russian assets will remain immobilised until Putin ceases its war and compensates Ukraine for the damage caused.And the fifth point was that European security interests must be safeguarded in any deal.A joint statement said: "They welcomed recent Ukrainian successes on the battlefield, including the recent liberation of territory and ground-breaking use of drone technology. They condemned Russia’s large-scale missile and drone attacks - including the repeated use of the Oreshnik missiles - on Ukrainian cities with a tragic toll on civilians, as well as irresponsible and dangerous Russian drone incursions into NATO territory. They expressed their condolences to all the victims."‌And the statement concluded: "Leaders commended President Zelenskyy’s call for an end to the war, negotiated by diplomatic means, as set out in his letter to the President of the Russian Federation of 4 June 2026."They supported the proposal for a direct dialogue between Ukraine and Russia - with active US and European participation - to bring about a ceasefire and support further negotiations. They confirmed they would continue to stand firmly with Ukraine."The three European nations are Kyiv's staunchest allies, with the UK and France heading a "coalition of the willing" to provide security guarantees if a peace deal is reached.‌Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said the drone attack close to Chernobyl was "deeply concerning". Mr Zelensky said: “ Russia deliberately targeted this nuclear infrastructure object. As of now, there is no exceeding of radiation background norms."But there is definitely an exceeding of even long-standing Russian audacity. Ukrainian rescuers stopped the fire at this object after the attack. The world needs real new steps to make the Russians feel that their terrorist war is a blow to Russia itself.”‌Mr Zelensky is set to meet the King on Monday as he thanked Ukraine's allies for standing firm. It comes after a large-scale Ukrainian drone attack targeted St Petersburg, Russia's second-largest city, on Saturday, underscoring Kyiv's growing ability to hit deep inside Russia."We will not just silently die. We will respond," Mr Zelensky told Sky News on Sunday. "We will be stronger and stronger each day."British, French, German and Ukrainian flags were flying on Downing Street on Sunday ahead of the meeting.Article continues belowElsewhere, a Russian drone strike killed three people waiting at a bus stop in southeastern Ukraine on Sunday. Another person was wounded in the drone attack in Balabyne in Ukraine's southern Zaporizhzhia region.And a Ukrainian attack killed one man and injured a woman in Russia's Kursk region, local Governor Alexander Khinshtein said.