The destiny of Ukraine “is the destiny of Europe,” the German chancellor said on Monday, as he and other leaders met with President Volodymyr Zelensky in London.
Reporting from London
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine met on Monday with European leaders in London, saying he was there to discuss “sensitive issues” regarding peace talks that have languished because of clashing views about how to end his country’s nearly four-year-old war with Russia.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain hosted Mr. Zelensky, along with President Emmanuel Macron of France and Chancellor Friedrich Merz of Germany, for the closed-door discussion.
In brief remarks inside 10 Downing Street before the meeting began, Mr. Zelensky said it was critical for Europeans and Americans to unite with Ukraine in defending the country against Russian aggression and in negotiating an end to the conflict.
“There are some things we can’t manage without Americans; things which we can’t manage without Europe,” he said. “That’s why we need to make some important decisions.”
The Europeans repeated their longstanding pledges of robust support for Ukraine, both on and off the battlefield. Mr. Macron stated that Europe and Ukraine have “a lot of cards in our hands,” an apparent reference to President Trump’s statements earlier this year that Mr. Zelensky did not “have the cards” to play in negotiations with Russia on ending the war.
Mr. Macron cited European plans to help finance weapons for Ukraine’s continued resistance and the fact that U.S. and European sanctions on Europe have begun to have an impact on Russia’s economy.
Mr. Merz said the current moment “could be a decisive time for all of us” as Ukraine continued to fight amid some intense bombardment from Russia. He suggested that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was not only devastating for that country, but posed a long-term threat to the security and stability of all of the nations in Europe.
“We all know that the destiny of this country is the destiny of Europe,” he said. “So that’s the reason why we are here trying to figure out what we can do.”
Mr. Merz added that he was skeptical about some of the provisions in the peace proposal drafted by the United States. But he said, “We have to talk about that. That’s why we are here.”
A statement from Mr. Macron’s office earlier in the day said the leaders had planned to discuss ways to help Mr. Zelensky’s military continue its fight against Russia.
“Ukraine is not on the brink of collapse,” the statement said. “While we may not be able to immediately reach a peace agreement with Russia, it is essential that we give Ukraine all the support it needs.”
The trio of European leaders were hoping to bolster Mr. Zelensky’s negotiating position in the face of what they view as unacceptable demands by President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, including control over all of the eastern Ukrainian region known as the Donbas.
For now, Mr. Zelensky appears resigned to continued fighting. In a speech Sunday night, he said he would remain engaged in diplomatic efforts but stressed the need to focus Monday’s talks in London on efforts to bolster his military.
“First and foremost, security issues, support for our resilience, and support packages for our defense,” he said. “First and foremost, air defense and long-term funding for Ukraine. Of course, we will discuss a shared vision and common positions in the negotiations.”
Mr. Zelensky arrived at Mr. Starmer’s Downing Street office at around 1:15 p.m. In an interview with Bloomberg News published on Monday morning, Mr. Zelensky said negotiations were far apart on territorial issues.
“There are visions of the U.S., Russia and Ukraine — and we don’t have a unified view on Donbas,” he said, referencing contested parts of eastern Ukraine.
Late Sunday, President Trump criticized Mr. Zelensky by claiming that the Ukrainian leader had not yet read the latest version of peace proposals that emerged from hours of talks between American negotiators and Mr. Putin last week.
“I have to say that I’m a little bit disappointed that President Zelensky hasn’t yet read the proposal,” Mr. Trump told reporters. “His people love it, but he hasn’t.”
It was not immediately clear which “people” Mr. Trump was referring to, but a previous version of a U.S.-pushed peace plan that reflected many of the Kremlin’s demands had been broadly rejected in Ukraine.
In parts of Ukraine, the public is focused less on the diplomatic efforts and more on the way the ongoing war is affecting their daily lives.
Most people in Kyiv, the country’s capital, have power for only six to nine hours a day, often at inconvenient times, such as 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., when they are at work, and then again from 2 a.m. to 5 a.m. They wake up with no power and go to bed with no power.
Mr. Trump also told reporters that Russia was “fine” with the latest peace proposals.
“Russia, I guess, would rather have the whole country, when you think of it, but Russia is, I believe, fine with it,” Mr. Trump said. “But I’m not sure that Zelensky is fine with it.”
In fact, neither side has embraced the Trump administration’s plan. Mr. Putin said last week that parts of the American proposal to end the war were not workable. Mr. Zelensky said in a social media post on Saturday that he was “determined to keep working” on reaching a peace deal.
“Our approach is that everything must be workable — every crucial measure for peace, security, and reconstruction,” Mr. Zelensky wrote.
To achieve those goals, he has been looking to the European leaders, who have in recent weeks expressed frustration about being cut out of negotiations by Mr. Trump and his team.
Those diplomatic tensions with Europe were on vivid display last week when the Trump administration unveiled an annual update to the United States’ national security strategy that criticized Europe’s handling of the conflict in Ukraine.
The Trump administration “finds itself 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,” the strategy said.
