Zelenskyy meets European partners, seeks convergence with U.S. on truce

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was in London on Monday (December 8, 2025) for talks with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and other ‘E3’ country heads — French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. The meeting comes as U.S. President Donald Trump said Mr. Zelenskyy had not read the latest version of a proposal to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict, though his negotiators “love” the proposals.

The Trump administration had put together a 28-point peace plan in November and had held a series of talks with the Russian and Ukrainian sides. European leaders and Mr. Zelenskyy had been concerned that the initial proposal was very much in Russia’s favour and included Ukraine ceding territory. Mr. Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and with Mr. Zelenskyy’s representatives in early December to modify the initial plan.

An official familiar with the negotiations told AFP on Monday (December 8) that territory was still “the most problematic issue” in the talks to end the almost four-year-long conflict. “I’m sceptical about some of the details which we are seeing in the documents coming from the U.S. side. That’s why we are here,” Mr. Merz said, during opening remarks before the Downing Street meeting, as he reiterated European support for Ukraine.

Mr. Starmer insisted he would not be pushing Mr. Zelenskyy to accept the deal spearheaded by the Trump administration. “I won’t be putting pressure on the President,” Mr. Starmer said. “The most important thing is to ensure that if there is a cessation of hostilities, and I hope there is, it has to be just and it has to be lasting, which is what we will be focused on this afternoon,” he added. A U.K. official told reporters that Mr. Starmer would “update President Zelenskyy on our wider support today, including through the use of the value of immobilised Russian sovereign assets, which we hope to see movement on soon”.

“There are some things which we can’t manage without Americans, things we can’t manage without Europeans,” added Mr. Zelenskyy.

U.S. strategy

Monday’s (December 8) meeting also comes in the wake of the publication of the U.S.’s national security strategy, which has not gone down well with several European governments. The Trump administration was “at odds with European officials who hold unrealistic expectations for the war perched in unstable minority governments, many of which trample on basic principles of democracy to suppress opposition”, as per the document. The strategy paper also said Europe lacked self-confidence in its dealings with Russia.

“I think we have a lot of cards in our hands,” Mr. Macron said on Monday (December 8) at Downing Street. He cited, among his reasons, the financing of arms to Ukraine and Ukraine’s resistance to Russia. The Russian economy was also suffering as a result of sanctions, Mr. Macron said.

The main issue that remained before a deal could be finalised was a convergence between the common European and Ukrainian positions and the American position, according to Mr. Macron.

(With inputs from AFP)