With just one day to go until a US-Russian summit on ending the war in Ukraine, its president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has said he had a detailed discussion of possible security guarantees for Ukraine with UK prime minister Keir Starmer.
Mr Zelenskiy was in London to shore up European support for efforts to prevent any agreement that would carve up his country.
Friday’s Alaska summit comes at one of the toughest moments for Ukraine in a war – the largest in Europe since the second World War – that has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
On the back foot on the battlefield against Russian forces, Mr Zelenskiy and his allies are keen to avoid any deal between US president Donald Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin that leaves Ukraine more vulnerable to Russian attacks.
READ MORE
Mr Zelenskiy met the UK prime minister to build on momentum from virtual talks held on Wednesday with European leaders and Mr Trump to try to set red lines for the talks between Mr Trump and Mr Putin in Anchorage. The Ukrainian president said Thursday’s London meeting had been productive.
[ Zelenskiy to visit Downing Street ahead of Trump meeting with PutinOpens in new window ]
“We also discussed in considerable detail the security guarantees that can make peace truly durable if the United States succeeds in pressing Russia to stop the killings and engage in genuine, substantive diplomacy,” he said on X.
He added that he and Sir Keir also touched on investment in Ukrainian drone production.
On Wednesday, Mr Trump threatened “severe consequences” if Russia’s leader does not agree to peace in Ukraine, and while he did not specify what the consequences could be, he has warned of economic sanctions if his meeting on Friday proves fruitless.
“Yesterday was a pivotal moment for reinforcing European and transatlantic unity,” Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said on X. “We need peace through strength as a foundation for the future of global security and stability.”
Mr Zelenskiy said he warned Mr Trump that Mr Putin was “bluffing” about his desire to end the war.
The Ukrainian leader also said Mr Trump had supported the idea of security guarantees in a postwar settlement. Politico cited people familiar with the situation as saying that Trump had said the US could provide guarantees with some conditions.
A source familiar with the matter told Reuters security guarantees were discussed on the call.
“We have no details of his [Mr Trump’s] view on this but now he is more open for some kind of US support for the guarantees,” the source said, adding that Mr Trump understood that a US backstop was needed for guarantees to be workable.
[ Trump threatens ‘very severe consequences’ if Putin refuses to end Ukraine warOpens in new window ]
Mr Zelenskiy confirmed this week that Russian forces had advanced by about 9-10 km (6 miles) near the town of Dobropillia in the Donetsk region. Ukraine, suffering manpower challenges, was forced to move in reserves to stabilise the situation.
Mr Trump’s comments and the outcome of the virtual conference on Wednesday could provide encouragement for Kyiv.
Mr Trump described the aim of his talks with Mr Putin in Alaska as “setting the table” for a quick follow-up that would include Mr Zelenskiy.
However, Russia is likely to resist Ukraine and other European leaders’ demands strongly and previously has said its stance had not changed since it was first detailed by Mr Putin in June 2024.
Mr Trump has said a deal could include what he called a land swap. Russia controls around a fifth of Ukraine and a land swap within Ukraine could cement Moscow’s gains.
Mr Zelenskiy and other European leaders worry that would reward Mr Putin for nearly 11 years of efforts to seize Ukrainian land and embolden him to expand further west in Europe.
[ European leaders eye Trump-Putin talks on Ukraine with anxietyOpens in new window ]
A source familiar with the matter said Russian Special Envoy Kirill Dmitriev will participate in Friday’s summit.
Mr Dmitriev, who heads Russia’s RDIF sovereign wealth fund, has previously held talks with Steve Witkoff, Mr Trump’s special envoy, and has spoken of possible business co-operation between Moscow and Washington.
Mr Trump’s agreement last week to the summit was an abrupt shift after weeks of voicing frustration with Mr Putin for resisting the US peace initiative.
A Gallup poll released last week found that 69 per cent of Ukrainians favour a negotiated end to the war as soon as possible. But polls also indicate Ukrainians do not want peace at any cost if that means significant concessions.
As conditions for a ceasefire and the start of talks, Mr Putin has demanded that Ukraine withdraw its forces from four regions that Russia has claimed as its own but does not fully control, and formally renounce plans to join Nato.
Kyiv swiftly rejected the conditions as tantamount to surrender. – Reuters
