Zelenskyy and Starmer meet in London on eve of Trump-Putin talks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer at Downing Street on Thursday (August 14, 2025) morning, a day before the Presidents of Russia and the U.S. are to meet in Anchorage, Alaska, to discuss a ceasefire to the Russia-Ukraine war.

A Downing Street readout of the Zelenskyy- Starmer meeting said the two men looked at Friday’s meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin as a “ viable chance to make progress as long as Putin takes action to prove he is serious about peace”.

“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,” Mr. Zelenskyy said on X, after the meeting of the so called Coalition of the Willing, a group of mostly European countries that would provide a “reassurance force” in Ukraine, to help maintain peace, following any ceasefire between Kyiv and Moscow.

Mr. Zelenksyy was in Berlin to meet with the group on Wednesday (August 13, 2025) prior to a conference call with Mr. Trump and U.S. Vice President J D Vance (who is in the U.K. at the moment). The call was hosted by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

Mr. Starmer and Mr. Zelenksyy reviewed Wednesday’s meeting and had “agreed there had been a powerful sense of unity and a strong resolve to achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine,” Downing Street said.

Europe has been engaging Mr. Trump prior to Friday’s discussions with Mr. Putin. The U.S. President also reacted faourably to his call with the European leaders.

“I would rate it a 10. Very friendly,” Mr. Trump had said about the call. The U.S. President has said he will meet Mr. Zeleknsyy and Mr. Putin together, if Friday’s meeting in Alaska goes well.