On a Monday in London, the Ukrainian president sat down with the leaders of Britain, France and Germany, a small council of European capitals gathering around a war that has run nearly four years. Their aim was to shape a common answer to a peace plan drafted in Washington, one that asks a battered nation to trade ground for a pause in the fighting. Behind the talk of guarantees and air defence lies an old human question: how do you stop a war without rewarding the one who started it? The answer remains unsettled, and the plan itself has yet to win clear assent from either side of the trenches
Zelenskyy Meets Starmer, Macron and Merz in London as Europe Works to Shape US-Backed Ukraine Peace Plan
Ukraine and its European partners have firmly rejected giving up territory
Mark
Why does it matter that this meeting happened in London, with these three leaders?
Mimi
Because Britain, France and Germany are trying to shape a plan they didn't write. They want any ceasefire to carry security guarantees from both Europe and the US, so Russia is deterred from attacking again.
Mark
And the sticking point?
Mimi
Donbas. The proposal involves Ukraine giving up control of the region, and Ukraine and its European partners flatly reject that. Russia occupies most of it, but not all.
Luke
Starmer said he won't pressure Zelenskyy. Does that tell us the actual European position on a deal?
Mimi
It tells us how he framed his own role. It doesn't tell us what any deal would finally contain.
Mark
Trump says Zelenskyy hasn't read the proposal and that Russia is fine with it. How solid is that?
Luke
It's Trump's characterization, given to reporters on a red carpet. Putin hasn't publicly approved the plan, and last week he called parts of it unworkable. So the claim that Russia is fine with it isn't backed by anything public.
Mimi
Zelenskyy's own account is that the London talks were substantive, and that Umerov and Hnatov are returning to brief him.
Luke
We don't know what's in that briefing, or whether Ukraine will accept, reject or counter the plan. The reporting doesn't say.
Mark
So what's the thing to watch?
Mimi
What comes out of that briefing, and whether the guarantees Europe wants are actually matched by Washington.
O Pulso
- Zelenskyy walked into Downing Street with Starmer, Macron and Merz, racing to lock a unified European position before the next round of talks.
- The plan's demand that Ukraine cede the eastern Donbas hangs over every conversation, and Kyiv and its partners are refusing it outright.
- Ceasefire is being held hostage to a question of guarantees: no pause in fighting until security backing from Europe and Washington is firm.
- Trump insists Kyiv's people 'love' the proposal while Zelenskyy has not yet read it, and Putin has withheld public approval, leaving the deal in limbo.
- All eyes turn to Umerov and Hnatov, whose briefing to Zelenskyy will determine whether Ukraine answers the plan with a yes, a counter, or a stall.
On a Monday in London, the Ukrainian president sat down with the leaders of Britain, France and Germany, a small council of European capitals gathering around a war that has run nearly four years. Their aim was to shape a common answer to a peace plan drafted in Washington, one that asks a battered nation to trade ground for a pause in the fighting. Behind the talk of guarantees and air defence lies an old human question: how do you stop a war without rewarding the one who started it? The answer remains unsettled, and the plan itself has yet to win clear assent from either side of the trenches.
On Monday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy was due at 10 Downing Street, where Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz waited to meet him. The aim was to strengthen Ukraine's hand in difficult talks over a US-backed plan to end the war with Russia, now nearly four years old.
Zelenskyy said the discussions would centre on security, air defence and long-term funding. The European leaders are working to ensure that any ceasefire carries firm guarantees from both Europe and the United States, designed to stop Russia from attacking again. Zelenskyy called the talks 'substantive' and said two senior officials, Rustem Umerov and Andrii Hnatov, were heading back to brief him.
The sharpest obstacle is the proposal that Ukraine give up the eastern Donbas region. Russia occupies most of it, though not all, and Ukraine and its European partners firmly reject surrendering territory. Starmer said he would not put pressure on Zelenskyy to accept any particular deal.
Trump, speaking at the Kennedy Center Honours, said he was a little disappointed that Zelenskyy had not yet read the US-authored proposal, claimed Ukrainians loved it, and said he believed Russia was fine with it. Putin, however, has not publicly endorsed the plan, and last week called parts of it unworkable.
The London meeting sets European backing for Ukraine against a proposal that neither Kyiv nor Moscow has openly embraced. What comes next depends on what Umerov and Hnatov bring back.
On Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was due at 10 Downing Street in London, where British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz were set to meet him. The purpose was to strengthen Ukraine's position in difficult talks over a US-backed plan to end the war with Russia.
Zelenskyy said the discussions this week would center on security, air defence and long-term funding for Ukraine's war effort. The European leaders are also working to make sure that any ceasefire comes with firm security guarantees, from both Europe and the United States, meant to deter Russia from attacking again.
Zelenskyy posted on Telegram that the talks had been "substantive." In the same post he said two of his senior officials were on their way back to Europe to brief him: Rustem Umerov, Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council, and Andrii Hnatov, Chief of the General Staff.
One of the biggest obstacles in the proposal is the idea that Ukraine should give up control of its eastern Donbas region to Russia. Russia illegally occupies most of the region, though not all of it. Ukraine and its European partners have firmly rejected the idea of surrendering territory. Starmer said he "won't be putting pressure" on Zelenskyy to accept any particular peace deal.
Across the Atlantic, US President Donald Trump offered a different account. Speaking to reporters on the red carpet at the Kennedy Center Honours, he said he was "a little bit disappointed" that Zelenskyy had not yet read the US-authored proposal. Trump said Zelenskyy's people "love it" and that he believed Russia was fine with it, though he was unsure about Zelenskyy himself. The war is now nearly four years old.
Russia's position is less clear than Trump suggested. President Vladimir Putin has not publicly expressed approval of the White House plan. Last week he said that aspects of Trump's proposal were unworkable, even though the original draft heavily favoured Moscow.
The London meeting therefore sets European backing for Ukraine against a US proposal that neither Kyiv nor Moscow has publicly embraced. The next thing to watch is what Umerov and Hnatov report when they brief Zelenskyy, and how that shapes Ukraine's response to the plan.
Citações Notáveis
The talks were 'substantive.'— Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in a Telegram post
He 'won't be putting pressure' on Zelenskyy to accept any particular peace deal.— Keir Starmer
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