Zelenskyy to meet Starmer at Downing Street to discuss US draft peace deal | Ukraine
Volodymyr Zelenskyy will visit Downing Street on Monday to meet face-to-face with Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz to show support for Ukraine.
Starmer will use his meeting with leaders from Ukraine, France and Germany to discuss ongoing talks between US and Ukrainian officials to reach an agreement on guaranteeing Ukraine’s post-war security.
The four leaders attended a virtual meeting of the “coalition of the willing” about two weeks ago, where they discussed plans to provide a European peacekeeping force that could be deployed to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire.
In a statement released by the European Council about the meeting, the trio expressed full support for “President Trump’s comments that the current line of contact should be the starting point of any negotiations.”
The draft peace deal, quietly brokered between US and Russian officials, has been criticized for leaving Ukraine in a weak and vulnerable position. The initial draft of the plan, developed by Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and Kremlin adviser Kirill Dmitriev, would have called for tough measures on Ukraine that would give Russia unprecedented control over the country’s military and political sovereignty, conditions seen by Kiev as capitulation.
Significant changes were made to the peace plan by Ukraine last month, and some of Russia’s maximalist demands were eliminated. But for now, the conflict continues. On Friday night, Russia launched a drone and missile attack on Ukraine’s energy and transportation infrastructure.
The Ukrainian military said Russia launched 653 unmanned aerial vehicles and 51 missiles into Ukraine overnight. The military said Ukrainian forces shot down 585 drones and 30 missiles.
Zelensky said Ukraine’s energy infrastructure was the main target of hundreds of Russian drones and about 50 missiles, while Ukrainian officials accused Moscow of trying to “weaponize” the cold by denying civilians access to heat and electricity.
Meanwhile, US and Ukrainian officials will hold talks for a third day in Florida as the Trump administration pushes Kiev to accept an American-backed peace plan.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has already rejected parts of the plan; Ukraine’s territorial integrity and measures to deter future Russian attacks are major sticking points for Moscow.
Starmer has repeatedly emphasized that Ukraine must determine its own future and said a coalition of willing peacekeepers would play a “vital role” in guaranteeing the country’s security.
In its new national security strategy released Saturday night, the White House said it was committed to Ukraine’s survival as a “viable state.” But the strategy also prioritized improving relations with Moscow, stating that ending the war was a core interest of the United States and ensuring “the restoration of strategic stability with Russia.”
On Saturday evening, Zelenskyy said he had a “very solid and constructive” meeting with US envoys Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
“Ukraine is determined to continue to work honestly with the American side to achieve real peace,” Zelenskyy said on Telegram. “We agreed on the next steps and the format of the talks with America.”
Zelenskyy, who was in Kiev, attended the meeting with senior Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov, who was in Miami for talks with the US side, and Andriy Gnatov, chief of staff of the Kiev armed forces.
The two Americans – Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Kushner – had been in talks with Umerov and Gnatov since Thursday.
Zelenskyy said the meeting with Witkoff and Kushner “focused on many issues and quickly discussed important issues that could guarantee an end to the bloodshed and eliminate the threat of a third Russian invasion, as well as the threat of Russia not being able to fulfill its promises, as has happened many times in the past.”
He said he was waiting for a “detailed report” from Umerov and Gnatov.
