{"id":352681,"date":"2025-08-17T22:19:05","date_gmt":"2025-08-17T22:19:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/352681\/"},"modified":"2025-08-17T22:19:05","modified_gmt":"2025-08-17T22:19:05","slug":"zelensky-must-be-at-peace-talks-insists-keir-starmer-live","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/352681\/","title":{"rendered":"Zelensky must be at peace talks, insists Keir Starmer \u2014 live"},"content":{"rendered":"

President Trump has shared again a letter from his wife, Melania, to President Putin after his talks with the Russian president failed to produce a ceasefire. <\/p>\n

Melania, who was born in Slovenia, wrote Putin a letter on Friday that mentioned the abductions of children during the war.<\/p>\n

This afternoon, the US president shared the letter on his Truth Social page, after meeting Putin<\/a> at an Alaskan summit on Saturday.<\/p>\n

Drone strike damages Russian transport hub<\/p>\n

Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR) carried out a drone strike in the Voronezh region overnight, damaging infrastructure at a key transportation hub, a source in HUR told the local publication The Kyiv Independent today.<\/p>\n

The operation was conducted with Ukraine\u2019s State Border Guard Service and other units of the armed forces, the source said.<\/p>\n

The strike disrupted train traffic through Lisky station, halting the supply of ammunition and troops to Russian forces fighting on Ukrainian territory, according to the source.<\/p>\n

HUR described Lisky station as a key transportation hub for Russian military logistics. <\/p>\n

Coalition ready to play its role, says No 10<\/p>\n

Following a meeting of the \u201ccoalition of the willing\u201d, Downing Street said European leaders had \u201creaffirmed their continued support [for] Ukraine, and praised President Zelensky\u2019s desire for a just and lasting peace\u201d.<\/p>\n

They also \u201ccommended President Trump\u2019s commitment to providing security guarantees to Ukraine, in which the coalition of the willing will play a vital role through the Multinational Force Ukraine, among other measures\u201d.<\/p>\n

No 10 said: \u201cThey re-emphasised the readiness to deploy a reassurance force once hostilities have ceased, and to help secure Ukraine\u2019s skies and seas and regenerate Ukraine\u2019s armed forces.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zelensky\u2019s presence crucial in peace talks with Russia, insists PM\"Sir<\/p>\n

Sir Keir Starmer will join President Zelensky and European leaders for a meeting with President Trump at the White House on Monday<\/p>\n

JORDAN PETTITT\/PA<\/p>\n

The prime minister has told European allies that discussions on the future of Ukraine must involve President Zelensky, it is understood. <\/p>\n

Sir Keir Starmer, who co-chaired a video call of the \u201ccoalition of the willing\u201d on Sunday, delivered opening remarks alongside President Macron.<\/p>\n

European allies continue to be unified, Starmer is understood to have said, before updating attendees on commitments from President Trump on providing security guarantees to Ukraine.<\/p>\n

Starmer said negotiations on Ukraine\u2019s future must involve its president, as discussion turned to European leaders\u2019 plans to travel to the White House on Monday to meet Trump and Zelensky.<\/p>\n

He said the coalition\u2019s military planning was at an advanced stage and emphasised the importance of further financial sanctions on the Kremlin.<\/p>\n

We must not show weakness, says Macron, as Europe prepares for talks<\/p>\n

President Macron said that the goal of Monday\u2019s meeting was for Europe to show unity with Ukraine and that the continent must be at the table in any discussion over the war.<\/p>\n

After Sunday\u2019s meeting of the \u201ccoalition of the willing\u201d, he said: \u201cIf we show weakness today in front of Russia, we are laying the ground for future conflicts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Petr Fiala, the prime minister of the Czech Republic, wrote on X: \u201cThe videoconference of the Coalition of the Willing was important for coordination ahead of tomorrow\u2019s meeting at the White House.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe agreed that the immediate priority must be to bring an end to the killing, and that clear security guarantees for Ukraine from the United States and Europe will be absolutely essential for further negotiations.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very important that you are with us,\u201d Zelensky tells Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, ahead of the Washington peace summit<\/p>\n

Zelensky hails support from allies<\/p>\n

President Zelensky said there was \u201cclear support for Ukraine\u2019s independence and sovereignty\u201d and that \u201ceveryone\u201d in the coalition of the willing agreed that \u201cstate borders must not be changed by force\u201d.<\/p>\n

The Ukrainian president said: \u201cEveryone supports that key issues should be resolved with Ukraine\u2019s participation in a trilateral format: Ukraine, the US and the Russian leader.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said on X: \u201cThis is a historic decision that the United States is ready to participate in security guarantees for Ukraine. The security guarantees resulting from our joint work must be truly practical and provide protection on land, in the air and at sea, and they must also be developed with Europe\u2019s participation.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, we discussed how to stop the killings as soon as possible. We are working on a shared vision of what a peace agreement should look like \u2014 truly fair, swift and effective.\u201d <\/p>\n

Zelensky added a photograph of himself and Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, to his post.<\/p>\n

Coalition \u2018reaffirms support for Ukraine\u2019 at meeting<\/p>\n

European leaders have concluded their virtual meeting of the \u201ccoalition of the willing\u201d.<\/p>\n

The EU Commission said the leaders had \u201creaffirmed their unity in supporting Ukraine towards a just and lasting peace\u201d.<\/p>\n

President Stubb of Finland wrote on X: \u201cToday, I participated in a meeting of heads of state and government from the coalition of the willing in support of Ukraine. There is a strong consensus among the coalition countries on the need to continue supporting Ukraine. Europe and the United States are further strengthening their common position. We will continue our joint efforts with Ukraine, our European colleagues, and the United States tomorrow in Washington.\u201d<\/p>\n

Antonio Costa, the president of the European Council, added on X: \u201cUnity between Europe and the United States is vital for getting a sustainable peace for Ukraine. As I underlined during today\u2019s meeting of the Coalition of the Willing, if no ceasefire is agreed, the EU and the U.S. must increase pressure on Russia.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trump \u2018must plan for new sanctions on Putin\u2019<\/p>\n

Mike Pence, the former US vice-president, has urged President Trump to set in train additional sanctions on Russia during his talks on Monday with European leaders and President Zelensky.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know his style in dealing with these dictators,\u201d Pence told CNN. \u201cIt\u2019s the velvet glove. But I think the hammer needs to come and it needs to come immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the European leaders gather at the White House, Trump should \u201cpick up the phone and ask [the Senate] majority leader, John Thune, to immediately pass the secondary sanctions bill that is supported by virtually everyone in the US Senate,\u201d he said. It would \u201cmake it clear to Putin that we are prepared to take actions that would literally break his economy,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Rubio warns of further sanctions on Russia\"Marco<\/p>\n

Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state<\/p>\n

KEVIN LAMARQUE\/REUTERS<\/p>\n

Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, on Sunday warned of \u201cconsequences\u201d, including the potential imposition of new sanctions on Russia, if no peace deal was reached.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we\u2019re not going to be able to reach an agreement here at any point, then there are going to be consequences,\u201d he told US broadcaster NBC. \u201cNot only the consequences of the war continuing, but the consequences of all those sanctions continuing and potentially new sanctions on top of it as well,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Watch: The last time Zelensky met Trump at the White House<\/p>\n

President Zelensky was asked to leave the Oval Office after a \u00addisastrous argument with President Trump and his vice-president, JD Vance, on February 28<\/p>\n

Security guarantees make sense for lasting peace, says Rubio<\/p>\n

Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, said both Russia and Ukraine would need to make concessions to achieve peace. However, he suggested President Putin would have to accept that security alliances would be in place.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe one thing we do know that Ukraine has said repeatedly and publicly talked about is security guarantees,\u201d he told ABC News. \u201cThey need to be able to enter into security guarantees that ensure that this is never going to happen again, that they\u2019re not going to get re-invaded in two and a half or three years or four years or whenever it may be \u2026 They want to be able to go on to rebuild their country and live their lives.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a very reasonable request. That\u2019s something we\u2019re working on. And that\u2019s something the Russian side has to understand, obviously, is that, as a sovereign country, Ukraine has a right, like every sovereign country, to enter into security alliances and agreements with other countries. These are some of the things that we\u2019ll be discussing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Europe welcomes Article 5-style mutual-defence clause\"Ursula<\/p>\n

Ursula von der Leyen and President Trump in Scotland in July<\/p>\n

EVELYN HOCKSTEIN\/REUTERS<\/p>\n

Europeans have highlighted President Trump\u2019s new support for a Nato-style mutual defence clause with Ukraine to underpin any new peace agreement.<\/p>\n

The US president briefed European leaders on the idea on Saturday, but ruled out US troops and failed to specify what sort of support would be given.<\/p>\n

Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, echoed comments from Berlin and Rome welcoming the proposal, which has been compared to Nato\u2019s Article 5, as the sole point of European consensus with Trump after his meeting with President Putin on Friday.<\/p>\n

She said: \u201cWe welcome President Trump\u2019s willingness to contribute to Article 5-like security guarantees for Ukraine, and the coalition of the willing, including the European Union, is ready to do its share.\u201d<\/p>\n

Russia has made concessions on territory, claims Witkoff<\/p>\n

Moscow has made \u201csome concessions\u201d with regard to Ukraine\u2019s five regions occupied by Russia, President Trump\u2019s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, has said.<\/p>\n

He also said and that Trump and President Putin agreed to \u201crobust security guarantees\u201d in their talks in Alaska on Friday. <\/p>\n

His comments follow Trump posting on his Truth Social platform: \u201cBIG PROGRESS ON RUSSIA. STAY TUNED! President DJT\u201d without giving further details.<\/p>\n

The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, gave a contrasting message when speaking on America\u2019s morning shows, saying that it may not be possible for the US to create a scenario to end the war.<\/p>\n

Zelensky: Ceasefire must come before peace talks<\/p>\n

President Zelensky has repeated his call for a ceasefire as a precondition for peace talks.<\/p>\n

The Ukrainian president said it was impossible to review the situation under the pressure of fighting, so a ceasefire was needed to work quickly on a final deal.<\/p>\n

\u201cPutin has many demands. We do not know all of them, and if there are really as many as we heard, then it will take time to go through them all. It\u2019s impossible to do this under the pressure of weapons, so it\u2019s necessary to cease fire and work quickly on a final deal.\u201d As a result, \u201creal negotiations\u201d that start where the front line currently stands are necessary, he added.<\/p>\n

Zelensky stressed that the Ukrainian constitution makes it impossible to give up territory. This should only be discussed by the leaders of Ukraine and Russia at a trilateral summit, he said.<\/p>\n

Trump has not changed his mind about punishing Putin, says Rubio<\/p>\n

Russia will face \u201cadditional consequences\u201d if it does not agree to a ceasefire, President Trump\u2019s national security adviser has said.<\/p>\n

Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, said Trump had not changed his mind over punishing President Putin if no agreement was reached on a ceasefire. \u201cI don\u2019t think his mind has changed at all. I think, ultimately, if this whole effort doesn\u2019t work out, then there is going to have to be additional consequences to Russia,\u201d Rubio told ABC News. \u201cBut we\u2019re trying to avoid that by reaching a peace agreement. And that\u2019s not going to be easy. It\u2019s going to take a lot of work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rubio said that \u201cobviously, in order for us to get a peace agreement, Ukraine has to be a part of it\u201d but he said \u201cthere remains some big areas of disagreement\u201d, adding: \u201cSo, we\u2019re still a long ways off. I mean, we\u2019re not at the precipice of a peace agreement. We\u2019re not at the edge of one. But I do think progress was made.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zelensky thanks EU for support on path to \u2018real peace\u2019<\/p>\n

President Zelensky has thanked the EU for the support shown to Ukraine since the war began in 2022.<\/p>\n

He said it was important that they speak and that \u201cWashington is with us\u201d, adding: \u201cThis unity helps reach real peace.\u201d<\/p>\n

Von der Leyen: No cap on Ukraine\u2019s armed forces<\/p>\n

Europeans will insist that Ukraine\u2019s armed forces must not be capped or limited under any Trump peace plan or talks with Russia.<\/p>\n

Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, highlighted key red lines, and potential flashpoints, for European governments in the run-up to talks in Washington on Monday.<\/p>\n

Von der Leyen said that Europe would refuse to accept any limits on Ukraine\u2019s armed forces or outside military assistance. \u201cWe must have strong security guarantees to protect both Ukraine and Europe\u2019s vital security interests. Ukraine must be able to uphold its sovereignty and its territorial integrity,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere can be no limitations on Ukrainian armed forces: be it co-operation with other countries or assistance from other countries. No limitations for the Ukrainian armed forces,\u201d she said before the conference call with European leaders on Sunday. \u201cUkraine must become a steel porcupine, indigestible for potential invaders.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trump \u2018gave up on ceasefire after two hours with Putin\u2019<\/p>\n

President Trump dropped his demands for a ceasefire about two hours into his meeting with President Putin, according to the New York Post, which cited an anonymous source.<\/p>\n

\u201cFiguratively, the president sort of threw up his hands and said, \u2018I\u2019m not interested in a ceasefire any more\u2019,\u201d the source said.<\/p>\n

Trump was concerned that there would immediately be questions about how long any ceasefire would last and whether Russia was going to rearm, according to the paper. The source claimed that \u201cthe president got Putin to say out loud and agree to, in some way, memorialise that \u2026 \u2018I will not attack a European country’\u201d.<\/p>\n

Putin briefs Belarus and Kazakhstan on Alaskan talks<\/p>\n

President Putin briefed his close ally, President Lukashenko of Belarus, on Sunday about the talks in Alaska, and also spoke to President Tokayev of Kazakhstan.<\/p>\n

The Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, held calls on Saturday with his Turkish and Hungarian counterparts.<\/p>\n

Hungary has been a hold-out in the EU against the bloc\u2019s efforts to isolate Putin since the start of Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Turkey has tried to maintain open diplomatic channels with both Ukraine and Russia.<\/p>\n

Meloni treads a fine line\"President<\/p>\n

President Zelensky and Giorgia Meloni in March<\/p>\n

AFP<\/p>\n

Tom Kington, Rome<\/p>\n

The Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, will have her work cut out in Washington \u2014 staying loyal to President Zelensky, while showing support for President Trump.<\/p>\n

After the Trump-Putin summit, the firmly pro-US Italian leader said: \u201cI consider it positive that chances for peace in Ukraine are emerging. The deal is still complicated but finally possible.\u201d She added: \u201cOnly Ukraine can negotiate about conditions and about its territory.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meloni claimed the \u201cmost interesting\u201d development in Anchorage was Trump\u2019s adoption of an idea Meloni said was hatched by Italy to offer Ukraine security guarantees similar to Nato\u2019s Article 5, even though Ukraine is not a Nato member.<\/p>\n

Von der Leyen welcomes Zelensky to Brussels<\/p>\n

The European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the Ukrainian president at the EU Commission\u2019s head office in Brussels on Sunday.<\/p>\n

Von der Leyen and Zelensky are due to hold a joint news conference later on.<\/p>\n

Macron is relying on long-standing chemistry with Trump<\/p>\n

Charles Bremner, Paris<\/p>\n

President Macron, who has a far older relationship with President Trump than the other European leaders, is hoping to deploy the good chemistry he believes that he has created with the US president since he first won office in 2017.<\/p>\n

\"Macron<\/p>\n

Macron in the Oval Office in February<\/p>\n

CHIP SOMODEVILLA\/GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n

Macron wants to sway Trump away from his bedazzlement by President Putin, warning that the Russian leader cannot be trusted a millimetre, French diplomats say. French officials were privately appalled by what they see as Trump\u2019s unconditional surrender to Putin\u2019s positions at the Anchorage meeting. <\/p>\n

Publicly, however, the French say they support Trump\u2019s aims of achieving a Ukraine settlement while standing firm, with the Europeans, behind Kyiv and demanding fierce security guarantees.<\/p>\n

Macron is aware that needling Trump is counterproductive. Trump put down the French president on his Truth Social platform in June, saying \u201cEmanuel always gets it wrong\u201d, after the French president claimed that Trump left the G7 Summit in Canada early to work on a ceasefire between Israel and Iran.<\/p>\n

Russia rebuffs calls for ceasefire, says Zelensky<\/p>\n

President Zelensky has accused Russia of obstructing talks. In a post on X on Sunday morning, the Ukrainian president said: \u201cWe see that Russia rebuffs numerous calls for a ceasefire and has not yet determined when it will stop the killing. This complicates the situation.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added: \u201cIf they lack the will to carry out a simple order to stop the strikes, it may take a lot of effort to get Russia to have the will to implement far greater, peaceful coexistence with its neighbours for decades. But together we are working for peace and security. Stopping the killing is a key element of stopping the war.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sunday\u2019s meeting to focus on \u2018security guarantees\u2019 for Ukraine<\/p>\n

Downing Street said Sunday afternoon\u2019s call between the \u201ccoalition of the willing\u201d would focus on security guarantees.<\/p>\n

No 10 said the meeting, which is being co-chaired by Sir Keir Starmer, would \u201cdiscuss the progress to provide Ukraine with robust security guarantees in the event of any deal\u201d.<\/p>\n

The prime minister and European leaders have appeared increasingly confident that President Trump will offer a \u201csecurity guarantee\u201d of air support to back up allied troops on the ground in Ukraine, should they be deployed to keep the peace.<\/p>\n

Europe has reservations over Trump-Putin meeting<\/p>\n

European leaders have deep reservations over what has emerged from President Trump\u2019s meeting with President Putin on Friday, but are encouraged that the US president briefed Friedrich Merz, Giorgia Meloni and others that he would support a \u201cnon-Nato Article 5-type guarantee\u201d for Ukraine if a peace agreement is reached.<\/p>\n

Merz, the German chancellor, has pitched his \u201cwillingness to assume responsibility\u201d and offered a European venue, as yet unnamed, to host a possible summit with Trump, Putin and President Zelensky next week.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that such a three-way meeting will take place,\u201d Merz said on German television on Sunday. \u201dThe date and place are still to be worked out. We have proposed that a place could be found in Europe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Show of support in Washington<\/p>\n

According to diplomatic sources, Zelensky convinced European leaders to accompany him to Washington to lend \u201cmoral support and solidarity\u201d in the White House.<\/p>\n

Germany\u2019s chancellor was the first head of a European government to confirm he had accepted the invitation. A statement from Berlin stressed \u201cGermany\u2019s interest in a swift peace agreement in Ukraine\u201d, adding: \u201cThe talks will address, among other things, security guarantees, territorial issues, and continued support for Ukraine in its defence against Russian aggression.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trump is pushing for a quick deal after his meeting with President Putin in Alaska on Friday<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"President Trump has shared again a letter from his wife, Melania, to President Putin after his talks with…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":352682,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7654],"tags":[7747,25029,2000,299,124504,43520,2998,9461,20999,12,18041,31172,47583,657,21151],"class_list":{"0":"post-352681","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ukraine","8":"tag-at","9":"tag-be","10":"tag-eu","11":"tag-europe","12":"tag-insists","13":"tag-keir","14":"tag-latest","15":"tag-live","16":"tag-must","17":"tag-news","18":"tag-peace","19":"tag-starmer","20":"tag-talks","21":"tag-ukraine","22":"tag-zelensky"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115046436101747463","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/352681","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=352681"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/352681\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/352682"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=352681"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=352681"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=352681"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}