Starmer hosts Zelenskyy, Macron and Merz for high-stakes Ukraine talks

Keir Starmer is set to host Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz at Downing Street on Sunday for talks focused on continued support for Ukraine amid the ongoing conflict with Russia.

The Ukrainian leader will travel to the United Kingdom alongside the French president and the German chancellor following a week of intensified hostilities and Vladimir Putin’s rejection of Zelenskyy’s proposal for direct talks, News.Az reports, citing The Guardian. 

The meeting brings together some of Kyiv’s closest allies, with the United Kingdom and France leading the “coalition of the willing” aimed at providing security guarantees for c as part of a potential peace framework.

The talks come as Ukraine reported a large-scale drone attack on St Petersburg, Russia’s second-largest city, with no immediate casualties confirmed.

In Ukraine, one person was killed and three others injured in the Dnipropetrovsk region following nearly 30 strikes involving drones and artillery, according to regional authorities.

Vladimir Putin recently rejected the prospect of face-to-face negotiations with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, saying there was “no point” in such a meeting, while Donald Trump described a potential meeting as “great”.

Separately, Ukraine has continued long-range drone operations targeting infrastructure in Russia, including an oil terminal in St Petersburg, as the conflict continues to escalate.

Keir Starmer has previously emphasized strengthening European defence cooperation, including a recent security agreement with Poland described as a “generational uplift” in bilateral relations.

News.Az 

By Leyla Şirinova