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| Starmer and Zelenskyy hail ‘visible chance for peace’ before Trump-Putin talks | Starmer and Zelenskyy hail ‘visible chance for peace’ before Trump-Putin talks |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Two leaders meet in Downing Street and express cautious optimism about possibility of truce with Russia in Ukraine | Two leaders meet in Downing Street and express cautious optimism about possibility of truce with Russia in Ukraine |
| Keir Starmer and Volodymyr Zelenskyy have hailed “a visible chance for peace” in Ukraine – so long as Vladimir Putin takes steps to prove he is serious about ending the war when he meets Donald Trump in Alaska on Friday. | Keir Starmer and Volodymyr Zelenskyy have hailed “a visible chance for peace” in Ukraine – so long as Vladimir Putin takes steps to prove he is serious about ending the war when he meets Donald Trump in Alaska on Friday. |
| The British and Ukrainian leaders met in Downing Street for a private breakfast on Thursday to discuss the outcome of a video call between Zelenskyy, Trump and a group of European leaders including Starmer that took place on Wednesday. | The British and Ukrainian leaders met in Downing Street for a private breakfast on Thursday to discuss the outcome of a video call between Zelenskyy, Trump and a group of European leaders including Starmer that took place on Wednesday. |
| Overall, Europeans had emerged from the video meeting reassured that Trump was going into his summit focused on extracting Putin’s commitment to a durable ceasefire and was not seeking to negotiate over Ukraine’s head. | Overall, Europeans had emerged from the video meeting reassured that Trump was going into his summit focused on extracting Putin’s commitment to a durable ceasefire and was not seeking to negotiate over Ukraine’s head. |
| The plan that Trump and Putin will hold a joint press conference after their talks suggests the White House is optimistic the summit will bring about a breakthrough. Moscow is determined that the summit should not just focus on Ukraine but also agree steps to restart US-Russian economic cooperation. | The plan that Trump and Putin will hold a joint press conference after their talks suggests the White House is optimistic the summit will bring about a breakthrough. Moscow is determined that the summit should not just focus on Ukraine but also agree steps to restart US-Russian economic cooperation. |
| In a brief summary of the Downing Street meeting, British officials said Zelenskyy and Starmer expressed some cautious optimism about a truce “as long as Putin takes action to prove he is serious” about peace. | In a brief summary of the Downing Street meeting, British officials said Zelenskyy and Starmer expressed some cautious optimism about a truce “as long as Putin takes action to prove he is serious” about peace. |
| In a separate statement, Zelenskyy said there had been discussions about the security guarantees required to make any deal “truly durable if the United States succeeds in pressing Russia to stop the killing”. | In a separate statement, Zelenskyy said there had been discussions about the security guarantees required to make any deal “truly durable if the United States succeeds in pressing Russia to stop the killing”. |
| Trump has said he will quickly seek to hold a second, trilateral summit involving himself, Putin and Zelenskyy if Putin agrees to this format in their bilateral in Alaska. Any such meeting would be a concession by Putin since he refuses to recognise Zelenskyy as a legitimate leader of Ukraine, but Zelenskyy needs to be ready in case in the next few days he suddenly finds himself in a negotiating room with Trump and Putin. | Trump has said he will quickly seek to hold a second, trilateral summit involving himself, Putin and Zelenskyy if Putin agrees to this format in their bilateral in Alaska. Any such meeting would be a concession by Putin since he refuses to recognise Zelenskyy as a legitimate leader of Ukraine, but Zelenskyy needs to be ready in case in the next few days he suddenly finds himself in a negotiating room with Trump and Putin. |
| It would be at that meeting that Zelenskyy may be challenged with US calls to agree de facto to abandon territory currently held by Russia. Putin is also seeking agreement that Kyiv would hand over some land in parts of eastern Ukraine not seized by Russia. But Europe has said the starting point for any discussion about what would be in effect the partition of Ukraine has to start from the current line of contact. | It would be at that meeting that Zelenskyy may be challenged with US calls to agree de facto to abandon territory currently held by Russia. Putin is also seeking agreement that Kyiv would hand over some land in parts of eastern Ukraine not seized by Russia. But Europe has said the starting point for any discussion about what would be in effect the partition of Ukraine has to start from the current line of contact. |
| On Wednesday Starmer co-chaired a virtual meeting of the “coalition of the willing” – a European-led effort to send a peacekeeping force to Ukraine to enforce any deal – where he said there was a “viable” chance of a truce. | On Wednesday Starmer co-chaired a virtual meeting of the “coalition of the willing” – a European-led effort to send a peacekeeping force to Ukraine to enforce any deal – where he said there was a “viable” chance of a truce. |
| On Thursday the prime minister gave Zelenskyy a bear hug in the street outside the door to No 10 in a symbol of continuing British solidarity with the Ukrainian cause. Similar public displays of solidarity followed the disastrous February meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy, when the two leaders quarrelled in front of the cameras in the White House. | |
| Zelenskyy in his statement urged the UK to join Nato’s prioritised Ukraine requirements list (Purl) initiative, to provide weapons to Kyiv. “It is important that within the framework of the coalition of the willing we should all be able to achieve effective formats for security cooperation,” he said. | Zelenskyy in his statement urged the UK to join Nato’s prioritised Ukraine requirements list (Purl) initiative, to provide weapons to Kyiv. “It is important that within the framework of the coalition of the willing we should all be able to achieve effective formats for security cooperation,” he said. |
| “We also discussed the continuation of support programmes for our army and our defence industry. Under any scenario, Ukraine will maintain its strength,” Zelenskyy added. “Keir and I also talked about such mechanisms for weapons supplies as the Purl programme, and I urged the UK to join.” | “We also discussed the continuation of support programmes for our army and our defence industry. Under any scenario, Ukraine will maintain its strength,” Zelenskyy added. “Keir and I also talked about such mechanisms for weapons supplies as the Purl programme, and I urged the UK to join.” |
| Further sanctions could be imposed on Russia should the Kremlin fail to engage, and Starmer said the UK was already working on its next package of measures targeting Moscow. | Further sanctions could be imposed on Russia should the Kremlin fail to engage, and Starmer said the UK was already working on its next package of measures targeting Moscow. |
| “We’re ready to support this, including from the plans we’ve already drawn up to deploy a reassurance force once hostilities have ceased,” Starmer told allies on Wednesday. “It is important to remind colleagues that we do stand ready also to increase pressure on Russia, particularly the economy, with sanctions and wider measures as may be necessary.” | “We’re ready to support this, including from the plans we’ve already drawn up to deploy a reassurance force once hostilities have ceased,” Starmer told allies on Wednesday. “It is important to remind colleagues that we do stand ready also to increase pressure on Russia, particularly the economy, with sanctions and wider measures as may be necessary.” |
| Trust in Trump’s reliability is low among European leaders but they emerged relieved from the video call with the US president, sensing that he understood it was not his right to start negotiating “land swaps” or details of a final peace settlement with Putin in Alaska. | Trust in Trump’s reliability is low among European leaders but they emerged relieved from the video call with the US president, sensing that he understood it was not his right to start negotiating “land swaps” or details of a final peace settlement with Putin in Alaska. |
| Trump appeared to agree his primary task was to test out whether Putin was willing to agree a ceasefire, and on what conditions. Putin has to balance risking damaging his relationship with Trump, his best path out of the war, and trying to crush Ukraine’s independence from Russia. | Trump appeared to agree his primary task was to test out whether Putin was willing to agree a ceasefire, and on what conditions. Putin has to balance risking damaging his relationship with Trump, his best path out of the war, and trying to crush Ukraine’s independence from Russia. |
| Trump has frequently said he will know if he can achieve peace in Ukraine only by meeting Putin personally. He sets great faith in his personal relationship with the Russian leader, but in remarks after his video meeting with the European leaders he played down expectations of what he could do to persuade Putin to relent. At the same time he warned there would be “very severe consequences” for Russia if Putin did not agree to a ceasefire, a veiled threat to increase US sanctions on Russian oil exports. | |
| He has so far held off from imposing such economic pressure on Russia, but by the end of the month the US is due to impose additional tariffs on Indian imports into the US as a punishment for India continuing to buy Russian oil. | He has so far held off from imposing such economic pressure on Russia, but by the end of the month the US is due to impose additional tariffs on Indian imports into the US as a punishment for India continuing to buy Russian oil. |
| The UK would like to see the US consider other, more targeted sanctions, either on the so-called shadow fleet of Russian oil tankers or on refineries that use Russian oil. But Moscow briefed that the Alaska summit, far from leading to extra economic pressure on the Russian economy, would instead include discussion and agreements on new US-Russian economic cooperation, a step that would relieve the pressure on Russian state finances. | The UK would like to see the US consider other, more targeted sanctions, either on the so-called shadow fleet of Russian oil tankers or on refineries that use Russian oil. But Moscow briefed that the Alaska summit, far from leading to extra economic pressure on the Russian economy, would instead include discussion and agreements on new US-Russian economic cooperation, a step that would relieve the pressure on Russian state finances. |
| Some European leaders took heart from the detailed grasp of the issues shown on the call by the US vice-president, JD Vance, and by hints that Trump could be willing to contribute US assets to a European-led security guarantee for Ukraine in the event of a peace agreement. Vance in particular reassured Europe that the US had no intention of negotiating away Ukrainian territory at the Alaska summit. He was described as “fully apprised” of the need to implement some mechanism that would prevent Putin from trying to subvert any peace agreement, either militarily or by actively undermining the legitimacy of the Zelenskyy government. | Some European leaders took heart from the detailed grasp of the issues shown on the call by the US vice-president, JD Vance, and by hints that Trump could be willing to contribute US assets to a European-led security guarantee for Ukraine in the event of a peace agreement. Vance in particular reassured Europe that the US had no intention of negotiating away Ukrainian territory at the Alaska summit. He was described as “fully apprised” of the need to implement some mechanism that would prevent Putin from trying to subvert any peace agreement, either militarily or by actively undermining the legitimacy of the Zelenskyy government. |
| The Nato secretary general, Mark Rutte, used Wednesday’s meeting with Trump to warn about the potential consequences of Ukraine being forced to concede swathes of territory it holds in the Donetsk oblast. Rutte told Trump that Putin’s proposal made to Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff would mean opening a “highway” for the Russian army to advance to Kyiv, according to two participants. | |
| The Alaska summit, due to start at 11.30am local time (2030 BST) will include a one-to-one meeting between Trump and Putin, with interpreters, before broadening into a wider meeting. | |
| The Russian delegation will include the foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov; the defence minister, Andrei Belousov; the finance minister, Anton Siluanov; and the head of the Russian sovereign wealth fund, Kirill Dmitriev; and Putin’s foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov. | The Russian delegation will include the foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov; the defence minister, Andrei Belousov; the finance minister, Anton Siluanov; and the head of the Russian sovereign wealth fund, Kirill Dmitriev; and Putin’s foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov. |