Sir Keir Starmer will convene with European allies on Sunday as Donald Trump appears increasingly supportive of Vladimir Putin's territorial demands for Ukraine. The Prime Minister will host a video conference with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to coordinate the coalition's response to the emerging peace negotiations.
Trump and Putin met on Friday at a military base in Anchorage, Alaska, for a summit aimed at brokering an end to the Ukraine war. During the negotiations, Putin demanded full control of the occupied Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk as a condition for ending the conflict, offering to withdraw from other Ukrainian territories in exchange.
European Response
Starmer praised Trump's "pursuit of an end to the killing" following a phone call with the US President, Zelensky and NATO allies on Saturday morning. However, the Prime Minister insisted that Ukraine's leader must not be excluded from future peace talks. Only Herald Scotland reports that EU ambassadors held an extraordinary restricted meeting without aides to discuss their coordinated response to the developments.
European leaders appeared increasingly confident that Trump will offer a "security guarantee" of air support to back up potential allied troops on the ground in Ukraine. Trump has shifted his approach from seeking a ceasefire to pursuing a permanent peace settlement, echoing Putin's stated objectives.
Monday White House Meeting
Zelensky is scheduled to meet Trump at the White House on Monday in what could pave the way for a three-way meeting including the Russian leader. The Oval Office discussion will focus on the territorial concession plan that Trump reportedly supports. Only Daily Mail reports that Trump played golf after publicly urging Ukraine to make a deal with Russia.
Putin described the Alaska summit as "timely" and "useful" after departing, whilst greeting Trump as "dear neighbour" in reference to Alaska's proximity to Russia. Experts warned that the face-to-face summit risked legitimising the Russian leader, who has been treated as a pariah by the international community since invading Ukraine.
Zelensky cautioned that Russia may intensify strikes against Ukraine in the coming days "in order to create more favourable political circumstances for talks with global actors". The Ukrainian president faces mounting pressure as Trump appears willing to accept significant territorial concessions to secure a peace deal.
Sources used: "PA Media", "Sky News", "Mirror", "Evening Standard", "Daily Mail", "HuffPost UK", "Herald Scotland" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
