British Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to London on Thursday, a day earlier than a important U.S.-Russia summit in Alaska.
“Yesterday, together with all partners, today in a bilateral format, we discussed expectations from the meeting in Alaska and possible prospects,” Zelenskyy stated in a social media submit after the assembly. “We also discussed in detail security guarantees that can make peace truly sustainable if the United States still manages to pressure Russia to stop the killings and engage in real meaningful diplomacy. It is important that we can all work together within a coalition of those willing to achieve effective formats for security work.”
Zelenskyy’s journey to the British capital got here a day after he took half in digital conferences from Berlin with President Donald Trump and the leaders of a number of European international locations. These leaders stated Trump had assured them he would make it a precedence to attempt to obtain a ceasefire in Ukraine throughout his assembly with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday in Anchorage.
Putin was holding a gathering in Russia on Thursday with members of Russia’s management to arrange for the Alaska assembly. He stated that he needed to debate the bilateral negotiation course of with Ukraine and the way it was going.
Putin additionally stated he deliberate “to talk about the stage we are at with the current American administration, which, as everyone knows, is making, in my opinion, quite energetic and sincere efforts to stop the fighting, stop the crisis and reach agreements that are of interest to all parties involved in this conflict.”
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov stated Thursday that the Friday assembly between Mr. Trump and Putin in Alaska is predicted to start at round 11:30 a.m. native time on Friday. The primary subject would be the struggle in Ukraine, however there may also be discussions about financial cooperation between Washington and Moscow.
He stated the assembly will happen at Elmendorf-Richardson Air Power Base, and that there’ll first be a one-on-one assembly between the 2 leaders earlier than their delegations be part of.
Mr. Trump and Putin will say a couple of phrases firstly of the assembly, Ushakov stated, and they’ll maintain a joint press convention afterwards.
Ushakov stated every delegation could have 5 members. For Russia, these might be Ushakov, in addition to Russian International Minister Sergei Lavrov, Russian Protection Minister Andrei Belousov, head of the Russian Direct Funding Fund Kirill Dmitriev, and Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov.
Alaska summit “hugely important”
Each Zelenskyy and the Europeans have fearful the bilateral U.S.-Russia summit would go away them and their pursuits sidelined, and that any conclusions reached might favor Moscow and depart Ukraine and Europe’s future safety in jeopardy.
But a few of these leaders, like German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron, praised Wednesday’s video convention with Trump as constructive.
Talking after the conferences to reporters, Trump warned of “very severe consequences” for Russia if Putin doesn’t conform to cease the struggle towards Ukraine after Friday’s assembly.
Starmer on Wednesday stated the Alaska summit can be “hugely important,” and could possibly be a “viable” path to a ceasefire in Ukraine. However he additionally alluded to European issues that Trump could strike a deal that forces Ukraine to cede territory to Russia, and warned that Western allies have to be ready to step up strain on Russia if needed.
Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer talks with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky within the backyard of 10 Downing Road in central London, Britain August 14, 2025.
BEN STANSALL
Throughout a name Wednesday amongst leaders of nations concerned within the “coalition of the willing” – those that are ready to assist police any future peace settlement between Moscow and Kyiv – Starmer burdened that any deal reached on bringing the combating to an finish should shield the “territorial integrity” of Ukraine.
“International borders cannot be, and must not be changed by force,” he stated. “Any talk about borders, diplomacy, ceasefire has to sit alongside a robust and credible security guarantee to ensure that any peace, if there is peace, is lasting peace and Ukraine can defend its territorial integrity as part of any deal.”
Kyiv has lengthy insisted that safeguards towards future Russian assaults offered by its Western allies can be a precondition for attaining a sturdy finish to the combating in Ukraine. But many Western governments have been hesitant to decide to partaking their army personnel.
“It’s a very important clarification that we have received,” Macron stated.
European Council President Antonio Costa additionally welcomed “the readiness of the United States to share with Europe the efforts to reinforce security conditions once we obtain a durable and just peace for Ukraine.”
“I don’t see any changes coming”
With one other high-level assembly on their nation’s future on the horizon, some Ukrainians expressed skepticism that any breakthroughs can be achieved throughout Friday’s U.S.-Russia summit.
Oleksandra Kozlova, 39, a division head at a digital company in Kyiv, informed The Related Press on Wednesday that she believes Ukrainians “have already lost hope” that significant progress might be made on ending the three 1/2-year-old struggle.
“I don’t think this round will be decisive,” she stated. “There have already been enough meetings and negotiations promising us, ordinary people, that something will be resolved, that things will get better, that the war will end. Unfortunately, this has not happened, so personally I don’t see any changes coming.”
Anton Vyshniak, a automobile salesman in Kyiv, stated Ukraine’s precedence now needs to be saving the lives of its army servicepeople, even on the expense of constructing territorial concessions.
“At the moment, the most important thing is to preserve the lives of male and female military personnel. After all, there are not many human resources left,” he stated. “Borders are borders, but human lives are priceless. Therefore, some principles can be disregarded here.”
Russian strikes in Ukraine’s Sumy area in a single day Wednesday resulted in quite a few accidents, Ukrainian regional officers stated. A missile strike on a village within the Seredyna-Budska group injured a 7-year-old lady and a 27-year-old man, based on regional governor Oleh Hryhorov. The lady was hospitalized in secure situation.
Within the southern Kherson area, Russian artillery fireplace struck the village of Molodizhne on Thursday morning, injuring a 16-year-old boy, regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin stated. {The teenager} suffered an explosive damage, shrapnel wounds to his legs and arms and an acute stress response. He was hospitalized in average situation, Prokudin stated.
General, Russia’s Protection Ministry reported destroying 44 Ukrainian drones over Russian areas and the annexed Crimea in a single day.
Haley Ott
contributed to this report.
