UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Downing Street on Monday, where Zelensky will meet French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz as European leaders try to break the deadlock over ending the war in Ukraine. Cabinet minister Pat McFadden said Ukraine’s security and right to self-determination would be “at the heart” of the discussions, and described US-led negotiations as “really pivotal.”
Delegations arrive after a three-day round of talks in Miami, where the outgoing US envoy on Ukraine to President Donald Trump said a settlement was “really close” but would hinge on Russia’s cooperation. Negotiators remain stuck on several core issues, notably the permitted size of Ukraine’s post-conflict army and Moscow’s control of parts of the Donbas. US special envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg told Reuters that resolving those two questions would unlock other matters and that “we’re almost there.”
Downing Street said the leaders would “focus on the ongoing peace negotiations and next steps” but gave few further details. The White House has been pushing both Kyiv and Moscow to accept a multi-point framework, but officials acknowledge there has been little sign of a breakthrough even as both sides engage. Zelensky said he was determined to keep working with the US after talks with Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff.
Early versions of the US plan drew criticism from European capitals for appearing to favour Russian demands; the draft was revised after concern it accepted limits on NATO involvement, constraints on Ukraine’s armed forces and Russian control of parts of eastern Ukraine. Kyiv and its allies have proposed alternative measures, including a European-led security force to help police any agreement, an idea Moscow has rejected. Russian President Vladimir Putin has refused the revised proposals and reiterated that Russia will press to take the Donbas by force if Ukraine does not cede control — some 85% of the region is currently under Russian control. In an interview, Putin said Russia would either “liberate these territories by force” or see Ukrainian troops withdraw.
Fighting has continued even as diplomacy proceeds: Russia launched another large aerial bombardment across Ukraine overnight into Sunday, following a previous day in which Kyiv reported attacks by 653 drones and 51 missiles that triggered alerts nationwide. Macron expressed his “full solidarity” with Ukraine amid the strikes and said he would keep working with American counterparts to try to secure peace.
Meanwhile, the US’s new National Security Strategy, which did not list Russia as a threat to Europe, drew a positive reaction from Moscow, and prompted EU officials to press Washington to maintain close transatlantic ties. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk called preservation of that relationship “the only reasonable strategy of our common security.”