Zelenskyy heads to London for talks with European allies on peace plan
and security
[December 08, 2025]
By JILL LAWLESS and ILLIA NOVIKOV
LONDON (AP) — President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was meeting the French,
German and British leaders in London on Monday as Kyiv’s European allies
try to strengthen Ukraine’s hand in thorny talks on a U.S.-backed plan
to end the Russia-Ukraine war.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer was due to gather with Zelenskyy, President
Emmanuel Macron and Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the British leader’s 10
Downing St. residence.
Zelenskyy said late Sunday that his talks with European leaders this
week in London and Brussels will focus on security, air defense and
long-term funding for Ukraine’s war effort. The leaders are working to
ensure that any ceasefire is backed by solid security guarantees both
from Europe and the U.S. to deter Russia from attacking again.
U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators completed three days of talks on Saturday
aimed at trying to narrow differences on the U.S. administration’s peace
proposal.
Zelenskyy said in a post on Telegram that talks had been “substantive”
and that National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov
and Chief of the General Staff Andrii Hnatov were traveling back to
Europe to brief him.
A major sticking point in the proposal is the suggestion Ukraine must
cede control of its eastern Donbas region to Russia, which illegally
occupies most but not all of its territory. Ukraine and its European
allies have balked at the idea of handing over land.
In an exchange with reporters on Sunday night, President Donald Trump
appeared frustrated with Zelenskyy, claiming the Ukrainian leader
“hasn’t yet read the proposal.”
“Russia is, I believe, fine with it, but I’m not sure that Zelenskyy’s
fine with it," Trump said before taking part in the Kennedy Center
Honors in Washington. "His people love it, but he hasn't read it."
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Trump has had a hot-and-cold relationship with Zelenskyy since
riding into a second White House term insisting that the war was a
waste of U.S. taxpayers’ money. Trump has also repeatedly urged the
Ukrainians to cede land to Russia to bring an end to the nearly
four-year conflict.
The European talks follow the publication of a new U.S. national
security strategy that alarmed European leaders and was welcomed by
Russia.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the document, which spells out
the administration’s core foreign policy interests, was largely in
line with Moscow’s vision.
The document released Friday by the White House said the U.S. wants
to improve its relationship with Russia after years of Moscow being
treated as a global pariah and that ending the war is a core U.S.
interest to “reestablish strategic stability with Russia.”
The document also says NATO must not be “a perpetually expanding
alliance,” echoing another complaint of Russia’s. It was scathing
about the migration and free speech policies of longstanding U.S.
allies in Europe, suggesting they face the “prospect of
civilizational erasure” due to migration.
Starmer’s government has declined to comment on the American
document, saying it is a matter for the U.S. government.
As diplomatic efforts continued, Russian forces continued to assault
Ukraine over the weekend. At least four people were killed in drone
and missile strikes on Sunday, while Moscow continues to target
Ukrainian energy infrastructure as winter sets in.
Meanwhile, Russian air defenses destroyed 67 Ukrainian drones
overnight, Russia’s Ministry of Defense said Monday. The drones were
shot down over 11 Russian regions, it said.
___
Novikov reported from Kyiv, Ukraine.
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