Prime Minister Keir Starmer and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have described “a visible chance for peace” in Ukraine, provided that President Vladimir Putin takes tangible steps to show he is serious about ending the war when he meets President Donald Trump in Alaska on Friday.
The British and Ukrainian leaders held a private meeting in Downing Street on Thursday, where they discussed the results of a video call the previous day. That call brought together Zelenskyy, President Trump, and several European leaders, including Starmer.
Participants emerged reassured that President Trump was entering his summit determined to secure a firm commitment from Putin to a durable ceasefire, rather than negotiating over Ukraine’s future without Kyiv’s involvement.
The White House’s decision to plan a joint press conference between President Trump and Putin after their talks is being interpreted as a sign of optimism in Washington that a breakthrough could be within reach. However, Moscow is pressing for the summit to cover not only Ukraine but also steps to revive US-Russian economic ties.
British officials summarising the Downing Street discussions said Zelenskyy and Starmer expressed cautious optimism about the prospects for a truce “as long as Putin takes action to prove he is serious” about peace.
Cautious Hope Ahead Of Alaska Summit
In his statement, Zelenskyy stressed the need for security guarantees to ensure that any deal reached would be “truly durable if the United States succeeds in pressing Russia to stop the killing.”
President Trump has indicated that, should Putin agree during their Alaska meeting, he will push for a second trilateral summit involving himself, Putin, and Zelenskyy. Such a meeting would mark a significant concession by Putin, who has long refused to recognise Zelenskyy as Ukraine’s legitimate leader. Zelenskyy has been urged to prepare for the possibility that he could find himself in a negotiating room with both President Trump and Putin within days.
At this potential trilateral summit, Zelenskyy could face pressure from Washington to accept a de facto arrangement ceding territory currently held by Russia. Putin is also seeking Kyiv’s agreement to relinquish control over certain areas in eastern Ukraine not yet occupied by Russian forces. European leaders, however, insist that any talks resembling a partition of Ukraine must begin from the existing line of contact.
On Wednesday, Starmer co-chaired a virtual meeting of the “coalition of the willing” — a European-led initiative to send a peacekeeping force to Ukraine to enforce any future deal. During the session, he declared there was a “viable” chance of a truce.
On Thursday, in a show of solidarity, the prime minister embraced Zelenskyy outside Number 10. The gesture recalled similar public displays following the ill-fated February meeting between President Trump and Zelenskyy in Washington, where the two leaders clashed in front of cameras.
Zelenskyy also used his statement to urge the UK to join NATO’s prioritised Ukraine requirements list (PURL) initiative, aimed at streamlining weapons deliveries to Kyiv. “It is important that within the framework of the coalition of the willing we should all be able to achieve effective formats for security cooperation,” he said.
“We also discussed the continuation of support programmes for our army and our defence industry. Under any scenario, Ukraine will maintain its strength. Keir and I also talked about such mechanisms for weapons supplies as the PURL programme, and I urged the UK to join.”
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Should the Kremlin fail to engage meaningfully, further sanctions against Russia are already being considered. Starmer confirmed that the UK is working on its next package of measures targeting Moscow.
READ ALSO: Integrated Tax Systems Could Supercharge Ghana’s Economy – World Bank
