Sir Keir Starmer and European leaders will join Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky when he meets Donald Trump for peace talks at the White House on Monday. Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, German chancellor Friedrich Merz, Finnish president Alexander Stubb and French president Emmanuel Macron were the first leaders to confirm they will join Mr Zelensky in Washington DC. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has also apparently said she will attend.
Mr Zelensky’s Oval Office rendezvous with the US president will take place after Western allies meet for a coalition of the willing video call on Sunday afternoon. The call will be hosted by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, France’s Emmanuel Macron and Mr Merz. Downing Street has confirmed Sir Keir will join the others in Washington.
The show of unity by European leaders comes as Mr Trump appears poised to urge the Ukrainian leader to agree to a Russian land grab of his country’s territory, according to reports.
Several news outlets have reported Russian president Vladimir Putin has demanded full control of Donetsk and Luhansk – two occupied Ukrainian regions – as a condition for ending the war.
In exchange, he would give up other Ukrainian territories held by Russian troops, several news outlets said, attributing sources familiar with Mr Putin and Mr Trump’s negotiations in Alaska on Friday.
Mr Trump is said to be inclined to support the plan, and will speak to Mr Zelensky about it when they meet in the Oval Office.
The European leaders may also fear a repeat of Mr Zelensky’s last visit to the White House at the end of February.
The tumultuous spat resulted in a souring of relations between the US and Ukraine.
In a statement issued on Saturday, Sir Keir said: “This morning, I spoke to President Zelensky, President Trump and other European partners, and we all stand ready to support this next phase.
“I welcome the openness of the United States, alongside Europe, to provide robust security guarantees to Ukraine as part of any deal.
“This is important progress and will be crucial in deterring Putin from coming back for more.”
He added: “In the meantime, until he stops his barbaric assault, we will keep tightening the screws on his war machine with even more sanctions, which have already had a punishing impact on the Russian economy and its people.
“Our unwavering support for Ukraine will continue as long as it takes.”
