Political journalist
BbcPrime Minister Sir Keir Starmer welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at Downing Street for private discussions.
The couple met before a vital summit in Alaska between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the end of the war in Ukraine.
Sir Keir said he thought there was a “viable chance” of a cease-fire between Russia and Ukraine and that “territorial integrity” of Ukraine must be protected and that international borders “must not be modified by force”.
Zelensky and other European leaders, who do not attend the meeting in Alaska, held a joint call with Trump on Wednesday to repeat their position.
A red carpet was deployed for the arrival of Zelensky at No. 10, and it was photographed through the Downing Street Rose Garden with the PM in a carefully coordinated support program of the United Kingdom, scheduled only 24 hours before the Alaska summit.
None of the two leaders made a comment to journalists on hold.
The Kremlin announced that Putin and Trump will hold a joint press conference after their meeting on Friday evening.
Last week, Trump warned that there could be “an exchange of territories, to improve the two”, which could have fears of Ukraine could have to abandon certain areas in order to end the bloody conflict.
Moscow wants to keep control of the land it has seized, including Crimea, while Ukraine insisted that the famous territory is unacceptable.
Russia also wants assurances that Ukraine will not join the NATO military alliance and a size limit of its army.
In another development, the American vice-president on visit, JD Vance, said that it was Trump’s mission to “bring peace to Europe”.
Addressing a virtual meeting of European leaders after the call with Trump, Sir Keir said “Any cease-fire should last and last, he would need security guarantees”.
“This is why we have set up this coalition of The Will,” he added.
The coalition is a group of mainly European countries who have committed to providing military support to Ukraine – including potentially on the ground – in order to dissuade Russia from raping any agreed peace agreement.
Sir Keir said the coalition had “credible” military plans that could be used in the event of a ceasefire.
He said that group leaders were also ready to increase economic pressure on Russia if necessary, for example by increasing sanctions.
He also praised Trump’s efforts to reach an agreement, saying: “For three years and a bits, this conflict was in progress and we did not approach the prospect of a solution in fact viable, a viable way of bringing it to a cease-fire.
“Now we are lucky, because of the work that the president has devoted.”
Sir Alex Younger, the head of the MI6 between 2014 and 2020, said the BBC Radio 4 BBC 4 program: “It is true that Donald Trump is the only one who can solve this”, but he warned “Putin plays him”.
“They all talk about the bad thing,” he said, adding that the American strategy of resetting bilateral relations with Russia was “a total fantasy” which has not recognized Putin’s goal of “total subjugation” of Ukraine.
“It is not at all the territory, it is a question of sovereignty and if Ukraine exists – and Putin is determined that it should not.”
Vance is currently on vacation with a private family in the United Kingdom and also joined the call with Sir Keir and other European leaders on Wednesday.
Later in the evening, he pronounced an address in Raf Fairford in the Gloucestershire at the American troops stationed in the United Kingdom.
The vice-president said that the two countries had a “beautiful alliance” and that the United States had “worked with our friends from the United Kingdom to win large victories” in the past 100 years.
“It’s not just about going to war, and it’s not just about winning when we do it,” added Vance.
“When we fight together, when we clearly indicate that we always approach all situations with an open hand – but if things go wrong, we are ready to do what we have to do, we make peace and prosperity all over the world.”
EPAAfter the call with European leaders, Trump told a press conference that there was a chance to meet between Putin and Zelensky.
He said he would use his first meeting with Putin to “discover where we are and what we do”, adding: “We will have a second quick meeting between President Putin and President Zelensky and I wanted to have me.”
He also warned Putin that he would face “very serious consequences” if he did not agree to end the war after the summit on Friday.
Zelensky, who joined the call to Berlin to meet the German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, said that the United States was ready to continue its support for Ukraine and accused Russia of not wanting peace.
“Putin cannot be mistaken,” he said.
