Sir Keir Starmer and Volodymyr Zelensky believe there is a “viable” chance of a ceasefire in Ukraine but Vladimir Putin must “prove he is serious about peace,” Downing Street has said.
The UK prime minister held a breakfast meeting with the Ukrainian President ahead of a summit between US President Donald Trump and Putin in Alaska on Friday to discuss ending the war in Ukraine.
No 10 said Sir Keir and Zelensky agreed there was “a powerful sense of unity and a strong resolve to achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine” at their meeting.
Zelensky and other European leaders, who are not attending the meeting in Alaska, held a joint call with Trump on Wednesday to reiterate their position.
A red carpet was rolled out for Zelensky’s arrival at No 10, and he was pictured strolling through the Downing Street rose garden with the PM in a carefully co-ordinated show of support from the UK, scheduled just 24 hours before the summit in Alaska.
Neither leader made any comment themselves to waiting reporters in Downing Street, maintaining a tactical diplomatic silence.
When leaders leave Number 10 they usually walk alone to their car, but today Starmer walked with Zelensky, giving him a hug and a handshake before his departure in an important show of unity.
The prime minister has not said that much to the media over the last few days, leaving commentary on meetings to official scripted handouts, partly in order to avoid saying anything that might appear to be a split with the US.
The main tactic within Downing Street in the past week or so has been to get Trump on board – to make sure the US president has the words of Europe and of Ukraine ringing in his ears when he sits down with Putin on Friday.
Following his departure, Zelensky posted on social media thanking Sir Keir for his support in a “good, productive meeting”.
“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 wrote.
Zelensky added the two discussed weapons partnerships, including investment in drone production, and the One Hundred Year Partnership Agreement with the UK, which he said is set to be ratified this month.
In a statement Downing Street said the two men had “looked ahead to tomorrow’s talks between President Trump and President Putin in Alaska, which present a viable chance to make progress as long as Putin takes action to prove he is serious about peace”.
In Russia, Putin told officials he welcomes Donald Trump’s “energetic and sincere” efforts to end the Ukraine war.
He added that the US was seeking to “stop the crisis and reach agreements that are of interest to all the sides involved in the conflict to create long-term conditions for peace between our countries, in Europe and in the world in general, if we at the subsequent stages arrive at agreements in the area of strategic offensive arms control”.
The Kremlin has announced that Putin and Trump will hold a joint press conference after their meeting on Friday evening.
Last week Trump warned there could be “some swapping of territories, to the betterment of both”, leading to fears Ukraine might have to give up some areas in order to end the bloody conflict.
Moscow wants to maintain control of land it has seized, including Crimea, while Ukraine has insisted that ceding territory would be unacceptable.
Russia also wants assurances that Ukraine will not join the Nato military alliance and a limit on the size of its army.
Addressing a virtual meeting of the European leaders following the call with Trump, Sir Keir said a lasting ceasefire needed security guarantees, adding the coalition had “credible” military plans ready that could be used in the event of a ceasefire.
He said the leaders of the group were also ready to increase economic pressure on Russia if necessary, for example through increasing sanctions, and credited Trump’s efforts for progress on the issue.
Sir Alex Younger, the head of MI6 between 2014 and 2020, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “It’s true that Donald Trump is the only one who can solve this,” but he warned “Putin is playing him”.
“They’re all talking about the wrong thing,” he said, adding that the US strategy of resetting bilateral relations with Russia was “a total fantasy” that failed to recognise Putin’s aim of the “total subjugation” of Ukraine.
