Starmer in talks with European leaders ahead of Zelensky’s White House visit

Shiva K Dhakal
National Press Corporation (NPC) | www.uknepalpress.com|
United Kingdom — Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will hold a video conference with European counterparts on Sunday, in advance of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to the White House next week.

French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will join Sir Keir in convening what officials are describing as a “coalition of the willing”, following the collapse of a Trump–Putin summit in Alaska that failed to deliver a ceasefire.On Saturday, Sir Keir praised Donald Trump for bringing the end of the war in Ukraine “closer than ever before”, but stressed that the “path to peace” could not be determined without Kyiv’s involvement.

The intervention comes after the US president declared he wanted to bypass a temporary ceasefire and move directly to a permanent peace settlement. Writing on his Truth Social platform, he said it had been “determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a peace agreement” — signalling a major shift in Washington’s stance.

President Zelensky later cautioned that Moscow’s refusal to agree to a ceasefire was “complicating” efforts to bring an end to the conflict. He is due in Washington on Monday, where Mr Trump has said he will press him to accept a peace deal.

UK backs ‘robust’ guarantees

Downing Street confirmed that Sir Keir spent Saturday morning in talks with Western leaders. In a statement, he said:

“I welcome the openness of the United States, alongside Europe, to provide robust security guarantees to Ukraine as part of any deal. President Trump’s efforts have brought us closer than ever before to ending Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine. His leadership in pursuit of an end to the killing should be commended.”

The prime minister warned, however, that until President Putin halted his “barbaric assault”, Western allies would continue to “tighten the screws on his war machine with even more sanctions.”A Downing Street source told the BBC that any peace agreement would require binding security arrangements, adding that “US involvement is a key part of that”.

Calls for lasting peace

After a separate phone call with Mr Trump, President Zelensky reiterated Kyiv’s demand for a “lasting peace — not just another pause between Russian invasions.” He warned that Russia was likely to intensify its strikes in the coming days in a bid to secure stronger leverage in future negotiations.

The Ukrainian leader met Sir Keir in London on Friday, where the two were seen warmly embracing before breakfast talks at Downing Street. Diplomats described the encounter as a carefully staged show of solidarity from the UK ahead of the Anchorage summit.