Zelensky meets Starmer in London; Trump threatens Putin ahead of Alaska talks
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had a 'productive meeting' with British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in London ahead of the talks between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump in Alaska on Friday.
Mr Zelensky was embraced by Sir Keir out the front of 10 Downing Street in central London on Thursday morning (Thursday evening AEST) - they were in discussions for about an hour but details of the talks have remained largely private.
The meeting between the two leaders comes ahead of the highly-anticipated meeting between Mr Putin and Mr Trump in Alaska due to take place on Friday at 11.30am local time (5.30am Saturday AEST) but Mr Zelensky has not been invited.
Interpreters will be present at the meeting. — Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Ð'олодимир ЗеленÑьаий (@ZelenskyyUa) August 14, 2025
Mr Zelensky posted on X shortly after his meeting with Sir Keir and he thanked the UK and partners for its support.
While Sir Keir posted on X a video of the two meeting at Downing Street and wrote: 'Great to see you, my friend @ZelenskyyUa.
'Britain will always stand with Ukraine'.
A joint press conference with the Russian and US presidents is due to be held shortly after the talks take place in Alaska.
The Russian's aide Yrui Uskakov said in a statement on Thursday: 'Upon concluding the negotiations, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump will hold a joint news conference to summarise the outcomes of the discussions.
'Regarding the summit's agenda, it is evident to all that the central topic will be the settlement of the Ukrainian crisis, including considerations from the discussions held in the Kremlin on August 6 – as you may recall – with the participation of the US President's Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.
'However, broader issues related to ensuring peace and security, as well as pressing international and regional matters, will also be addressed'.
FOLLOW UPDATES: 'SEVERE CONSEQUENCES': TRUMP THREATENS PUTIN AHEAD OF MEETING
Donald Trump has threatened 'very severe consequences' for Russia if Vladimir Putin doesn't end its war on Ukraine after Friday's peace summit in Alaska.
Speaking at the Kennedy Centre in Washington DC to announce its 2025 honorees including Sylvester Stallone, KISS and Gloria Gaynor, Mr Trump said he would be 'very proud' if he could bring an end to the bloody Russia-Ukraine conflict.
He will meet with his Russian counterpart in Anchorage on Friday local time and said he hoped a second meeting including Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky could be held soon after.
It comes as Mr Zelensky was set to meet with British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer at Downing Street on Thursday ahead of Friday's critical meeting.
Downing Street has not disclosed what the two leaders will discuss when they meet in central London however the timing of the meeting comes before the highly-anticipated talks in Alaska between Mr Trump and Mr Putin on Friday where a possible ceasefire may be agreed on.
'There's a very good chance we're going to have a second meeting that will be more productive than the first because the first is I'm going to find out where we are and what we're doing,' Mr Trump said.
'If the first one goes okay, we'll have a quick second one, I'd like to do it almost immediately.
'That would be a meeting where perhaps it could be absolutely worked (out).'
Mr Trump said he hoped a subsequent meeting could bring an end to the war but said he needed to gauge Mr Putin's willingness during their face-to-face talks.
'Great things can be gained in the first meeting, it's going to be a very important meeting but it's setting the table for the second meeting,' he said.
'If the second meeting takes place. There may be no second meeting because if I feel like it's not appropriate to have it because I didn't get the answers that we have to have then there's not going to be a second meeting.'
Mr Trump warned of 'very severe consequences' if the three-year conflict was not resolved.
'If we can save a lot of lives it would be a great thing,' he said.
'I've stopped five wars in the last six months.'
Asked if he believed he could convince Mr Putin to stop targeting civilians, Mr Trump was sceptical.
'Well I'll tell you what I've had that conversation with him I've had a lot of good conversations with him and then I go home and see that a rocket hit a nursing home or an apartment building and people are laying dead in the street so I guess the answer to that is no,' he said.
It comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the US supports security guarantees for the war-torn nation if a peaceful resolution can be reached with Russia.
Mr Zelensky, in a joint press conference with German chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin on Wednesday (Thursday AEST), spoke shortly after European leaders held an online meeting with Mr Trump.
In comments made after the meeting, Mr Zelensky said that 'there should be a ceasefire first, then security guarantees – real security guarantees,' and that Mr Trump has 'expressed his support'.
In a strong show of support for Ukraine by European nations ahead of Mr Trump's meeting with Mr Putin on Friday, Mr Zelensky said he warned the US President that the Russian leader is 'bluffing'.
'Putin is bluffing – he is trying to push forward along the whole frontline,' Mr Zelensky said.
'Putin is also bluffing saying he doesn't care about the sanctions and that they're not working.'
Mr Merz said any future meetings between the US and Russia must include Mr Zelensky – he will not be at this week's meeting.
'Ukraine must be at the table when follow-up meetings take place,' Mr Merz said.
Mr Merz also said a 'ceasefire must come first' and Mr Zelensky said he wants further sanctions imposed on Russia if the Kremlin fails to commit to a ceasefire.
Five key principles have been set out by Mr Zelensky and the European leaders and they were explained to Mr Trump.
This includes Russia must agree to a ceasefire, there be security guarantees, Ukraine must be included in future discussions with America and Russia, there should be pressure applied on Russia including sanctions and Russia should not be allowed to quash Ukraine's NATO prospects.
The Ukrainian president also confirmed that immediately after Friday's meeting Mr Trump will contact him to discuss details of the meeting with Mr Putin.
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer also confirmed that the Coalition of the Willing – countries committed to a peace deal in Ukraine – are in a position to help enforce military operations to ensure a ceasefire is enforced if it is announced on Friday.
He said Friday's meeting is 'hugely important' and said America is close to negotiating with Russia a 'viable solution' of reaching a ceasefire in the region.
US Vice President JD Vance, who is on holiday in the UK, also spoke on Wednesday in front of American troops at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire and described the ongoing conflict as a 'terrible war in Russia and Ukraine'.
'You guys are the reason why we can go into a negotiation with strength,' he said.
'You guys are the reason why we have leverage in these conversations with world leaders, because they know that if we cut a deal, it is backed up by the finest fighting force anywhere in the world.'
Russia has made rapid advances this week in a narrow but important section of the front line in Ukraine.
The AFP data analysis showed that the Russian army took or claimed 110sq km on August 12 compared to the previous day. It was the most since late May 2024.
Ukrainian soldiers in Kramatorsk, an eastern city about 20km from the front, said they had low expectations for Trump's meeting with Putin.
Artem, a 30-year-old serviceman, said the war would likely continue for 'a long time.'
'Putin is massing an army, his army is growing, he is stockpiling weapons, he is pulling the wool over our eyes.' Cancer
Chart-topping star Jessie J has shared a raw glimpse into her post-surgery struggles, admitting "everything has changed" since her cancer diagnosis. Royals
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