Zelenskyy Meets EU Leaders Over US Peace Push
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is scheduled to meet British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in London on Monday as part of ongoing efforts to evaluate a new US-backed peace proposal aimed at ending Russia’s invasion.
This follows several days of intense but difficult negotiations between Ukrainian officials and a US delegation. Zelenskyy described the discussions as “constructive, although not easy.” Former US President Donald Trump, who is driving the renewed peace push, claimed that Russia is comfortable with the proposal, but suggested Zelenskyy has yet to fully endorse it. Kyiv’s chief negotiator, Rustem Umerov, said the president would receive a full briefing and all documents on Monday.
Washington has intensified its mediation efforts after brokering a ceasefire in Gaza and now says the Ukraine-Russia peace plan is in its final stages—though neither Kyiv nor Moscow has shown readiness to sign. Key sticking points remain security guarantees for Ukraine and the fate of Russia-occupied territories. Trump’s initial proposal reportedly involved Ukraine ceding territory in exchange for limited security assurances short of NATO membership.
Meanwhile, UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper will meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington to reaffirm both countries’ support for a negotiated settlement. Starmer has repeatedly maintained that any decisions about Ukraine’s future must be led by Kyiv and suggested that a European peacekeeping mission could be essential for post-war security.
Russia has reacted cautiously, with President Vladimir Putin saying parts of the US plan are unrealistic. Senior US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met Putin recently, but no major breakthrough followed. Despite tensions between Trump and Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian leader said Kyiv remains committed to engaging “in good faith” toward achieving genuine peace.
The Trump administration’s new national security strategy—welcomed by Moscow—signals a desire to repair US-Russia relations and contains strong criticism of Europe, claiming it faces “civilisational erasure.” Trump’s outgoing Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg, said efforts to finalize a peace agreement were in “the last 10 metres,” with unresolved issues including territorial control and the status of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
Trump allies have taken a harder line, with Donald Trump Jr. accusing Zelenskyy of prolonging the war for political reasons and insisting the US will no longer act as “the idiot with the chequebook.”
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