London (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to meet with UK, French and German leaders in London on Monday, rallying supporters for backing as the United States raises pressure on Kyiv to agree to a proposed peace agreement with Russia.
“We are starting a new diplomatic week right now – there will be consultations with European leaders,”
Zelenskyy addressed Ukrainians in a video message on Sunday evening while travelling by train.
“First and foremost, security issues, support for our resilience, and support packages for our defence. First and foremost, air defence and long-term funding for Ukraine. Of course, we will discuss a shared vision and common positions in the negotiations.”
The US proposed a ceasefire plan last month that supported many of Russia’s wartime demands. Kyiv’s Europe partners have since backed Ukraine in seeking to improve the terms.
What concerns do EU leaders have about Washington’s draft deal?
French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who are travelling to London for the meeting, expressed their support for Zelenskyy amid rising concerns that the U.S. might pressure Kyiv to agree to terms that benefit Russia, Reuters reported.
European leaders contend that some points of the proposal encourage Russian aggression and fail to avert future hostilities.
Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, emphasises that any agreement must prioritise ending violence without posing new risks and incorporate Ukraine’s input. Macron cautioned that in the absence of powerful deterrents, Russia would probably break agreements.
As reported, Ukraine is going through one of the most difficult stages in the nearly four-year war. Russian troops are slowly grinding forward in the east, and Ukrainian cities and towns are plunged into darkness for hours due to intensified Russian strikes on the energy grid and other infrastructure.
How are the talks between the US and Ukraine regarding the peace proposal progressing?
After bringing a revised plan to Moscow last week, U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner held several days of additional negotiations with Ukrainian officials in Miami, which concluded on Saturday without any progress.
Zelenskyy described the conversations as difficult but beneficial.
On Sunday, Trump expressed his “disappointment” with Zelenskiy, claiming that he had not read the most recent peace proposal supported by the United States.
Rustem Umerov, Zelenskyy’s top negotiator, promised to give Zelenskyy an update on his team’s discussions with U.S. officials and to provide him with all peace plan documents. According to U.S. officials, an agreement is nearing completion.
“The primary task of the Ukrainian team was to obtain from the American side full information about their conversation in Moscow and all drafts of current proposals to discuss them in detail with Ukraine’s President,”
Umerov said.
