Zelensky arrives in London desperate to defend himself against Trump's harassment

LondonAnother key meeting for the future of Ukraine – yet another – took place at Downing Street, where Volodymyr Zelensky arrived this Monday at midday, at one of the tensest and most crucial moments of the entire cycle of negotiations on the war. With the future of the front still uncertain and Washington pushing for a "quick" agreement, the Ukrainian president wanted to make it clear that "there is no pact on territorial concessions" with Donald Trump and that any proposal that involves exchanging land for peace remains unacceptable for Kyiv. In an interview with Bloomberg, Zelensky emphasized that there is no consensus on the fate of Donbas: Russia demands it, even though it has not managed to fully control it militarily, and Ukraine demands guarantees, above all, that the West will not abandon it should Moscow attack again.

The meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, which also includes French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, aims precisely at that. In brief remarks to the press before the meeting began, Starmer sought to clarify the UK's position: "We stand with Ukraine," he declared, and outlined the "principles" that will guide London in the coming months. premier He stressed that any progress toward a peace agreement must preserve Kyiv's interests: "If there has to be a ceasefire, it must be a fair and lasting ceasefire; that's why it's so important to reiterate time and again the principle that Ukraine's affairs are Ukraine's business." And he insisted that London will not back down: "We are here to support you in the conflict and to support you in the negotiations."

Zelensky, for his part, underlined the importance of maintaining a single voice: "Unity between Europe, Ukraine, and the United States is important when we negotiate an end to Russia's war against our country." The Ukrainian president admitted that there are issues that can only be addressed with the joint support of both sides of the Atlantic: "There are things we cannot manage without the Americans, things we cannot manage without Europe. That's why we must make some important decisions."

But there is a growing belief in European foreign ministries that Trump cannot be trusted. And the US president, as usual, has raised his voice against the weaker party, in this case Zelensky. Trump—who is trying to project the image of an impatient negotiator eager to end the conflict as quickly as possible—has declared himself "disappointed" in recent hours because, supposedly, Zelensky "hasn't even read" the latest version of his peace plan. According to the US president, "Zelensky's people love him," but it is the Ukrainian president who "isn't ready" to accept it. As usual, Trump's statements have not been supported by any evidence.

These statements, which open the door to portraying Ukraine as the main obstacle to an agreement, come in parallel with other, even more delicate ones: his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, warned this weekend that the Republican administration could withdraw from the process if Kyiv rejects all of Washington's proposals.

That's why Zelensky has landed in London with a clear mission: to build a wall of European support in the face of growing pressure from the White House. In Downing Street, the three European leaders greeted him with the promise of "tough security guarantees" and with the determination to move forward with mobilizing frozen Russian assets to finance the Ukrainian war effort. British government sources are confident that there may be some imminent "movement" on this issue.

Starmer, Macron, and Merz would like to prevent American pressure from forcing Zelensky to accept an agreement they consider unbalanced and which could legitimize de facto, the Russian territorial conquest. In the words of a Ukrainian deputy, Ivanna Klimpuix-Tsintsadze, who quotes The Kyiv Independent"Right now we are dealing with a completely different United States than the one we knew," a US that—according to the parliamentarian—does not have the same sensitivity toward international law nor the same willingness to support Ukraine in the long term.

Irritation in Kyiv

Ukrainian society, in fact, is also deeply skeptical of Washington's line. For many citizens, the idea of relinquishing territories that Russia has been unable to conquer militarily is hardly acceptable. And, politically, it is even more so for Zelensky and his European partners. Trump insists that "Russia has done well" with its plan, but that Zelensky has not. The assertion has been met with irritation in Kyiv, where it is remembered that it was Moscow that started the war and continues to wage an active offensive, including against civilian targets.

For its part, the Kremlin is watching closely, but maintaining its usual calculated ambiguity. Dmitry Peskov, Putin's spokesman, said on Monday that Moscow wants to "understand the results" of the recent meetings between the US and Ukraine and praised the new US security strategy, especially because it speaks of the need for "dialogue" and building "constructive relations." It's a message that aligns with the Kremlin's line: to project itself as the reasonable interlocutor with a Ukraine portrayed as intransigent, a task to which the White House contributes more than anyone else. In fact, the new US National Security Strategy, highly critical of Europe and not at all of Russia, has accentuated the rift between Washington and European leaders, who fear a final betrayal by Trump. Zelensky wants to know if the three allies, and the other European countries committed to Ukraine's defense, can fill the void left by a possible US withdrawal and if it's still possible to persuade Donald Trump not to ultimately cede Ukraine to Russia. The negotiations, in fact, remain shrouded in secrecy. The first draft of the 28-point US peace plan already clearly favored Russia, and it's unknown whether the new version will be acceptable to Kyiv. A Ukrainian negotiator admits that the main objective is to understand what Washington and Moscow have actually discussed. The Kremlin, likewise, says it wants to know what was discussed in Florida.

Meanwhile, a source involved in the negotiations summed it up bluntly, according to various British media outlets: "Putin doesn't want any agreement without territory. And the Americans are pushing to speed things up." This two-pronged approach—Russian and American pressure—puts Zelensky in a precarious position, which the Ukrainian president is trying to offset with an accelerated round of diplomatic consultations. After London, he plans to visit Brussels and Rome to strengthen his European flank and ensure that, at the decisive moment, Ukraine doesn't stand alone against the Trump administration. Meanwhile, slowly, despite the human cost, Russia continues its advance in Donbas. However, Putin has time and cannon fodder to continue sacrificing. Zelensky, on the other hand, does not.