Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is to meet Keir Starmer and the leaders of France and Germany for talks in Downing Street, as US President Donald Trump continues to push for a peace deal with Russia. Sir Keir, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will present a united front in support of Ukraine at the Number 10 meeting on Monday.
Russia’s assault continued over the weekend, with a barrage of 653 drones and 51 missiles targeting power stations and a railway hub near Kyiv in the early hours of Saturday morning. Kyiv and its western allies say Russia is trying to cripple the Ukrainian power grid and deny civilians access to heat, light and running water for a fourth consecutive winter.
European leaders were shocked when the White House published a 28-point peace plan which heavily favoured Russia last month. It included demands that Ukraine hand over the eastern Donbas region, including areas Russia’s miliary has failed to seize, and agree to shrink the size of its army.
The US-backed plan also ruled out the deployment of European peacekeepers and said Kyiv must relinquish long-range weapons - with Mr Trump demanding that Ukraine accept the proposal.
America has since toned down its rhetoric and in a joint statement, the US and Ukraine agreed “that real progress toward any agreement depends on Russia’s readiness to show serious commitment to long-term peace, including steps toward de-escalation and cessation of killings”.
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