Starmer meets with Zelensky to pressure Trump ahead of Alaska summit

LondonLast diplomatic effort by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his European allies before the Alaska summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. Shortly before 10 a.m. local time on Thursday, Zelensky embraced British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, in what is yet another demonstration by London of its support for him and, in the process, an image that attempts to pressure the US president not to give in to his Russian counterpart.

But can Zelensky and the rest of his partners trust Trump, and what he said yesterday, Wednesday, during the video conference held by the allies? that there would be no territorial concessions without Ukraine? That's the question the media shouted this morning from the sidewalk outside 10 Downing Street, while Starmer and Zelensky posed for the cameras. But both acted as if they were feeling the rain. A silence that cast a shadow of unease. And a silence they maintained even when, an hour later, Starmer, breaking with usual protocol, saw Zelensky off, escorting him to the car waiting to leave the British Prime Minister's residence.

Afterwards, Downing Street practically repeated in a statement the same words Starmer had said on Wednesday. That is, that there is a possibility of "progress" at the Alaska summit "provided Putin takes steps to demonstrate that he is serious about peace," an option for which many analysts do not give much hope. During the meeting, and according to the interpretation of both leaders and the official version offered by the Prime Minister's office, Starmer and Zelensky agreed "that there had been a strong sense of unity [and] a strong determination to achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine," following Wednesday's talks with Donald Trump.

The European leaders and Zelensky held a frantic day of telephone diplomacy on Wednesday. Zelensky met in Berlin with Chancellor Friedrich Merz and participated in a marathon of meetings in various formats with the heads of government of Germany, Finland, France, the United Kingdom, and Poland, as well as with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte; European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen; and European Council President António Costa. An hour later, he met with Donald Trump, his Vice President, JD Vance, and Merz. The last meeting was with the countries that make up the Coalition of the Willing, promoted by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, of which Spain is a member.

This Thursday's visit to London is just one more move in an orchestrated choreography of contacts prior to the meeting that Putin and Trump will hold this Friday in Anchorage, the capital of Alaska.

After these last conversations, Trump has threatened Putin with "serious consequences" if he does not accept a ceasefire during the summit, about which the premier Starmer has asserted that there is a "viable opportunity," a vision that many analysts consider overly optimistic, not least because Putin has shown no signs of changing course regarding his idea of what Ukraine should be: a satellite of the Kremlin. However, the US president has also stated that he could request a second meeting with the Ukrainian and Russian leaders to negotiate peace terms.

For his part, Starmer, the main driving force behind the Coalition of the Willing alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, affirmed on Wednesday that the group is prepared to implement its military plans to provide security in Ukraine as soon as a peace agreement is reached. He insisted that "real progress" had been made on guarantees for Ukraine. But in practice, everything will depend on what happens in Alaska, and ultimately on Putin's will.

In this regard, the Kremlin confirmed, also this Thursday morning, that the summit program is now finalized. Trump and the Russian president will hold an extended meeting with the delegations and a working breakfast in which "sensitive issues" will be addressed, thanks to Trump's "sincere efforts" to arrange the meeting, according to President Putin, during a meeting with Russian officials. A face-to-face meeting between the two leaders is also planned, with only interpreters present. The meeting will conclude with a joint press conference, in which both presidents will appear together. In typical language, the Kremlin stated that the central focus of the talks will be the "regulation of the Ukrainian crisis." After three and a half years of war, Moscow still hasn't called things by their proper names.

But in what could be interpreted as an attempt to lower expectations on the part of Moscow, the Russian news agency TASS reported that during the aforementioned meeting with officials, Putin stated that the summit would serve to establish "what stage we are at with the current American administration." In the best-case scenario, he concluded, it would "create long-term conditions for peace between our countries, in Europe, and in the world in general." The ceasefire that Kiev so desperately desires, but not at any price, still seems very far off.

While peace, or even a semblance of peace, is still a long way off, this Thursday both Moscow and Kiev confirmed a new prisoner exchange. Ukraine has received 84 people—33 military personnel and 51 civilians—as announced by President Zelensky. Among those released are those detained by the Russians since 2014, 2016, and 2017, as well as defenders of Mariupol, many of whom are in need of medical care and rehabilitation. One of the prisoners has spent more than 11 years in captivity. Putin's Defense Ministry also confirmed the release of 84 Russian soldiers.