LONDON (Reuters) -Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is due in London to meet British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday, to take stock ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump’s key talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday.
Zelenskiy, who was in Germany on Wednesday, has been working with European leaders to press Trump not to allow Putin to carve up Ukraine’s territory at the Alaska summit.
He is due to meet Starmer at 9.30 a.m. local time (0830 GMT) at the British premier’s official residence, 10 Downing Street.
On Wednesday, Trump joined a Germany-hosted virtual meeting with European leaders, including Zelenskiy, who sought to set red lines ahead of the summit on ending the war in Ukraine.
Zelenskiy said he warned Trump that the Russian leader was “bluffing” about his desire to end the war.
Trump later threatened “severe consequences” if Putin does not agree to peace in Ukraine and while he did not specify what the consequences could be, he has warned of economic sanctions if his meeting on Friday proves fruitless.
The comments and the outcome of the virtual conference on Wednesday could provide encouragement for Kyiv ahead of the summit.
Trump described the aim of his talks with Putin in Alaska as “setting the table” for a quick follow-up that would include Zelenskiy.
“If the first one goes okay, we’ll have a quick second one,” Trump said.
“I would like to do it almost immediately, and we’ll have a quick second meeting between President Putin and President Zelenskiy and myself, if they’d like to have me there.”
Britain, France and Germany, the co-chairs of the so-called “Coalition of the Willing”, set out their position on the pathway to a ceasefire in Ukraine in a statement released after Wednesday’s virtual meeting.
(Reporting by Catarina Demony in London; Editing by Kate Holton and Philippa Fletcher)
