He is expected to meet with the “Willing” in London today at a time when the talks under their leadership are at a critical stage.
Last week, Ukrainian officials met in Florida with US negotiators, where Zelensky’s chief negotiator called for changes to the White House plan, which is widely seen as favorable to .
Both sides spoke of progress, but after the talks, US President Donald Trump said he was “a little bit disappointed” with Zelensky, claiming he “hasn’t read the proposal yet”. More on that in a bit.
Today, Zelensky will meet in Downing Street with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
While the diplomatic moves continue, the Russian attacks on Ukraine do not stop. Overnight, at least seven people were injured when Russian drones struck an apartment building in the northeastern Ukrainian city of Okhtyrka, according to the regional governor.
Today’s meeting in London comes at a critical time for all participants, as the Trump administration moves away from European allies and closer to Russia.
Strong criticism of Europe by Trump
Last week the US National Security Strategy was published, but not on Russia.
The past few weeks have also seen several rounds of talks on a potential Ukrainian settlement, in which US negotiators appear to have backed many of Russia’s demands, pressuring the Ukrainians to cede territory and make additional concessions.
Ukraine will today seek to see if Europe is able to fill the huge gap left by the US after cutting off almost all aid.
European leaders are expected to discuss whether there is still a way to bring Trump back into line with allies, or whether Europe will need to go it alone — on both the Ukrainian and other fronts.
Zelensky’s “people” love the plan
On Sunday night, Donald Trump claimed that Zelensky has not read the latest proposal to end the war with Russia.
Speaking to reporters in Washington at the Kennedy Center, Trump insisted that Zelensky’s “people” “love” the plan.
“Russia is fine with that,” he said. “Russia, you know… would probably rather have the whole country, come to think of it. But Russia, I believe, is okay with the proposal — but I’m not sure Zelensky is okay.”
that Ukraine should cede territory to Russia or limit its defense capabilities.
On Monday morning, in his weekly address to the Ukrainian people, Zelensky said “substantial discussions” had taken place with Trump’s envoys.
He added: “The American envoys know the basic positions of Ukraine, and the discussion was constructive, although not easy. We continue our work. Some matters can only be discussed in person.”
