Ukraine's Zelenskyy holds crisis talks with European leaders

Trump plan to end war with Russia tops agenda as Ukrainian President meets Starmer, Macron and Merz in London

Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelensky is meeting UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. AFP

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and three European leaders are meeting in London to discuss the best way to respond to an unpalatable US proposal to bring an end to the war with Russia.

As Russia continues its winter bombardment of Ukraine, the country’s leader is meeting UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Downing Street. It follows a White House proposal for Kyiv to give up Ukrainian territory in exchange for peace with Moscow.

A building set alight in the Sumy region by a Russian drone attack that killed four on Sunday. AFP

The meeting in London will seek to address the proposal for Ukraine to give up 15 per cent of its remaining territory in the Donbas region, including a key fortress belt of defences.

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With the Trump administration growing weary of the diplomacy required to find a resolution, there are fears Washington might withdraw intelligence sharing and arms support for Ukraine.

That would put pressure on the Europeans powers to step in and bolster Ukraine’s defences if it does not want Russia’s aggression to be rewarded.

While the UK has remained tight-lipped about the Monday meeting, a French government spokesperson made it clear that the inaugural E3-Ukraine format is a “fundamental part of our ongoing efforts on the European side to structure the discussion with the Americans and the Ukrainians”.

The Elysee Palace official said: “The aim is to consolidate what is most essential at this time: a Euro-Ukrainian position … which should allow us to converge on a solid basis with the Americans.”

He also insisted that Ukraine must have “a genuine choice of options” and “enter into negotiations with Russia from a position of strength and the ability to assert its interests”.

US President Donald Trump wants Ukraine to give up territory in exchange for peace. Reuters

The London meeting also follows the publication of a new US national security strategy that made improving relations with the Kremlin one of Washington’s top priorities.

The strategy has been welcomed in Moscow. But the paper, which states that Europe faces “civilisational erasure”, with migration making it “majority non-European”, has not been warmly received in Berlin, Paris, London and other European capitals.

Mr Trump has increased the pressure on Mr Zelenskyy by alleging that he “isn’t ready” to sign the peace proposal.

“I’m a little bit disappointed that President Zelensky hasn’t yet read the proposal, that was as of a few hours ago. His people love it, but he hasn’t,” Mr Trump said on Sunday evening.

Mr Zelenskyy stated on social media that his country was “determined to keep working in good faith with the American side to genuinely achieve peace”.

Mr Trump’s outgoing Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg, said efforts to end the war were in “the last 10 metres” with just the two outstanding issues of Donbas and control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant to resolve.

Another important issue is the US security guarantees that would be in place to prevent Russia repeating its 2022 invasion, with Europe’s so-called 'coalition of the willing' wanting to place troops in Ukraine as a deterrent, something Mosow will not accept.

Mr Zelensky’s visit to London comes after his officials concluded three days of talks with US counterparts. But the negotiators acknowledged that any “real progress” will depend “on Russia’s readiness to show serious commitment to long-term peace”.

Mr Starmer has repeatedly said that Ukraine must be allowed to determine its own future, while one of his senior ministers said on Sunday that the country must not be left “toothless” in the face of Russian aggression.

Meanwhile, Russian forces continued to attack Ukraine on Sunday, killing four civilians in drone and missile strikes.