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 10:00 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, incidentally, in an image attempting to pressure the US president not to give in to his Russian counterpart.

However, Zelensky and the rest of his partners can 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 felt it was raining. A silence that cast a shadow of unease. And a silence they maintained even when, an hour later, Starmer said goodbye to Zelensky, escorting him to the car waiting for him to leave the British Prime Minister's residence.

European leaders and Zelensky held a frenetic day of telephone diplomacy this 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 final 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 vision of what Ukraine should be: a Kremlin satellite. 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, along with 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 agenda 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. A face-to-face meeting between the two leaders is also planned, with only the translators 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.