Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer in London on Thursday, a symbolic show of solidarity just one day before a critical US-Russia summit in Alaska from which both Kyiv and its European partners have been excluded.
Starmer welcomed Zelensky to Downing Street with a warm embrace and handshake, only hours after the Ukrainian leader had participated in a virtual discussion with US President Donald Trump. The Alaska meeting on Friday will mark the first time Russian President Vladimir Putin sets foot on Western soil since his February 2022 invasion of Ukraine—a war that has claimed tens of thousands of lives.
The prospect of a ramped-up Russian offensive, coupled with Zelensky’s absence from the Anchorage talks, has stirred concerns that Trump and Putin could reach an agreement that would force Ukraine into making damaging concessions. Despite the uncertainty, Starmer said Wednesday there was now a “viable” opportunity to secure a ceasefire after more than three years of conflict.
On the battlefield, Ukraine launched dozens of drone strikes into Russia overnight, injuring three people and sparking multiple fires, including one at an oil refinery in Volgograd. Kyiv framed the strikes as justified retaliation against Russia’s relentless missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities.
With the clock ticking toward Friday’s meeting, diplomatic manoeuvring has intensified. Zelensky, steadfast in his refusal to cede Ukrainian territory, joined the Berlin-based call with Trump alongside European leaders, who later expressed confidence that the US president would pursue a ceasefire rather than force Kyiv into territorial compromise.
Trump, however, sent mixed signals. He suggested a follow-up three-way summit with Putin and Zelensky could be arranged quickly if Friday’s discussion with the Russian leader goes well—but also made clear there might be no second meeting if the first failed to deliver acceptable answers. “If the first one goes okay, we’ll have a quick second one,” Trump told reporters, adding that he would not proceed if the initial talks fell short.
Zelensky, who endured a tense meeting with Trump in Washington earlier this year, voiced cautious backing for US-led diplomacy but underscored his doubts. “I have told my colleagues — the US president and our European friends — that Putin definitely does not want peace,” he said.
In Berlin on Wednesday, Zelensky appeared alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz during an online conference with other European leaders, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, and EU officials. The group reaffirmed their united front against Russia. Starmer noted that Ukraine’s allies, known collectively as the Coalition of the Willing, had prepared military plans in case of a ceasefire, while also keeping pressure on Moscow through sanctions.
“For three and a bit years this conflict has been going, we haven’t got anywhere near… a viable way of bringing it to a ceasefire,” Starmer told the meeting. “Now we do have that chance, because of the work that the (US) president has put in.”
NATO chief Rutte summed up the stakes: “The ball is now in Putin’s court.”
What you should know
President Zelensky’s London meeting with Prime Minister Starmer comes just before a pivotal Trump-Putin summit in Alaska from which Ukraine is excluded. The talks could shape the next phase of the war, with fears of potential concessions being imposed on Kyiv.
Despite battlefield tensions and continued Russian strikes, Ukraine’s Western allies are pushing for a ceasefire while preparing contingency plans to maintain pressure on Moscow.
Trump has hinted at a possible follow-up meeting involving Zelensky, but its likelihood depends entirely on the outcome of his initial discussion with Putin.
