LONDON — Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met British, French and German leaders in London on Monday in a show of European support for Kyiv at what they called a “critical moment” in the U.S.-led effort to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer held talks with Mr. Zelenskyy, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the British leader’s 10 Downing St. residence to try to strengthen Ukraine’s hand amid mounting impatience from U.S. President Trump.
After the meeting, the leaders called Kyiv’s European allies, urging them to keep up the pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“The leaders all agreed that now is a critical moment and that we must continue to ramp up support to Ukraine and economic pressure on Putin to bring an end to this barbaric war,” Mr. Starmer’s office said in a statement.
“This is the furthest we’ve got in four years, and we welcome the fact that these talks are continuing at every level,” said Mr. Starmer’s spokesman, Tom Wells. He added that “intensive work” will continue in the days ahead, although “there are still outstanding issues.”
Mr. Macron’s office said the session allowed the leaders “to continue joint work on the U.S. plan in order to complement it with European contributions, in close coordination with Ukraine.”
Answering reporters’ questions in a WhatsApp chat later Monday, Mr. Zelenskyy said the current U.S. peace plan differs from earlier versions in that it now has 20 points, down from 28, after what he called some “obvious anti-Ukrainian points were removed.”
On security guarantees, Mr. Zelenskyy said the main questions to be resolved are: “What if after the end of the war, Russia will start another aggression? What will the partners be ready for? What could Ukraine count on?”
The answers to these questions “must be in the core of the security guarantees for Ukraine,” he said.
In an exchange with reporters on Sunday night, Mr. Trump appeared frustrated with Mr. Zelenskyy, complaining that the Ukrainian leader “hasn’t yet read the proposal.”
Mr. Zelenskyy said Monday that Mr. Trump “certainly wants to end the war. … Surely, he has his own vision. We live here, from within we see details and nuances, we perceive everything much deeper, because this is our motherland.”
Mr. Merz said he was “skeptical” about some details in documents released by the U.S. “We have to talk about it. That’s why we are here,” he said. “The coming days … could be a decisive time for all of us.”
Mr. Zelenskyy said Monday that Ukraine needs support from both Europe and the U.S.
“There are some things we can’t manage without the Americans, things which we can’t manage without Europe, and that’s why we need to make some important decisions,” he said.
U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators completed three days of talks on Saturday aimed at trying to narrow differences on the U.S. administration’s peace proposal.
A major sticking point in the plan is the suggestion that Kyiv must cede control of the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine to Russia, which illegally occupies most but not all of the territory. Ukraine and its European allies have balked at the idea of handing over land.
Mr. Trump has had a hot-and-cold relationship with Mr. Zelenskyy since winning a second term, insisting the war was a waste of U.S. taxpayers’ money. Mr. Trump has also repeatedly urged the Ukrainians to cede land to Russia to end the nearly four-year conflict.
Russia continued attacking Ukraine amid the diplomatic efforts. Its drones struck high-rise apartments in the northeastern Ukrainian city of Okhtyrka Sunday night, injuring seven people and extensively damaging the building.
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