Zelensky to meet Starmer at No10 ahead of Trump-Putin summit
Volodymyr Zelensky will meet with Sir Keir Starmer at Downing Street on Thursday morning, ahead of Donald Trump's highly-anticipated Alaska summit with Vladimir Putin.
The Prime Minister's office said the Ukrainian president was due to arrive at 9.30am.
The meeting comes after Sir Keir said Britain stands ready to 'increase pressure' on Russia if necessary.
Meanwhile, Mr Trump has threatened Russia with 'severe consequences' if a ceasefire is rejected by Putin.
During a call with the US president and European allies on Wednesday, Sir Keir praised Mr Trump for his work to bring forward a 'viable' chance of an end to the war.
But concerns have been raised over Mr Zelensky's exclusion from the summit, which is set to take place on Friday.
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Abbir Dib. Iona Cleave
14 August 2025 6:52am
6:52AM
Why divided Ukrainians are refusing to fight for Zelensky
For the past 18 months, Pavlo has barely left his house.
His reclusiveness has nothing to do with the Russian bombs and drones pounding Kyiv. It is not the air strikes he fears, but his own Ukrainian countrymen.
It is draft officers, seeking to press-gang able-bodied men like him into units bound for the front that he dreads.
Pavlo is no conscientious objector. He regards himself as a patriot and never questions the righteousness of Ukraine's cause. Yet he – and millions like him – will not fight for their country.
Reluctance to serve – or to keep serving, in the case of the ever-swelling number of deserters – has long troubled Ukraine.
Now, just as Donald Trump grants Vladimir Putin the one-on-one summit the Russian president has coveted for years, that reluctance is tipping into crisis.
6:38AM
Starmer to host Zelensky at Downing Street
Mr Zelensky is set to arrive at 9.30am at Downing Street, the prime minister's office said.
It comes after Sir Keir on Wednesday maintained there was now a 'viable' chance for a Ukraine ceasefire, ahead of talks between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin on Friday.
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