Zelensky expected in Downing Street for high-level talks on Ukraine

2025-12-08 07:58:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

President Volodymyr Zelensky will meet with key European leaders in London on Monday as Ukraine's allies plan their response to a continued US push for Kiev to accept concessions in peace talks.

The leaders of France and Germany will join Zelensky and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in Number 10 as they seek to ensure any deal deters a future Russian attack.

The high-level meeting comes after three days of talks in Florida, where Zelensky's chief negotiator pushed for changes to a White House plan widely considered to accommodate the Kremlin's central demands.

The US and Ukraine said there was progress, but US President Donald Trump appeared to criticize Zelensky on Sunday, saying he had not read the draft.

Trump told reporters he was a little disappointed that President Zelensky had not yet read the proposal, which was only a few hours ago.

He continued: “His people love it, Russia would prefer to have the whole country when you think about it, but Russia, I believe, agrees with that, but I’m not sure if Zelensky agrees with it.”

Trump appeared to be referring to the latest draft of the proposed peace deal, which was revised in Miami after talks led by Zelensky's new chief negotiator, Rustem Umerov, and Trump's close aides, special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Around the same time as Trump's comments on Sunday, Zelensky said Umerov would be briefed on the negotiations in either London or Brussels, adding that "some issues can only be discussed in person" rather than over the phone.

Zelensky added that discussions with Witkoff and Kushner were constructive, although not easy.

Monday's talks in London will be attended by Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who represent the three NATO countries with the largest military budgets in real terms, excluding the US.

Downing Street said the meeting would focus on ongoing peace negotiations and next steps, while UK Cabinet minister Pat McFadden said ways to ensure Ukraine is able to decide its own future would be examined.

He said meaningful security guarantees are needed in the event of a peace agreement, not a toothless organization.

The United Kingdom and France have been leading talks to assemble the so-called coalition of the willing, also known as the Multinational Force Ukraine, with the aim of providing future defensive support, including a possible security force deployed in the country./ CNA