Zelenskiy, European leaders to convene in London amid US peace push

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By Olena Harmash

KYIV, Dec 8 (Reuters) – President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is set to meet with British, French and German leaders in London on Monday, rallying allies for support as the United States increases pressure on Kyiv to agree to a proposed peace deal with Russia.

France’s President Emmanuel Macron and Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who are travelling to London for the meeting, voiced their support for Zelenskiy as concerns grow that the U.S. could force Kyiv to accept terms that favour Russia.

“We are starting a new diplomatic week right now – there will be consultations with European leaders,” Zelenskiy told Ukrainians in a video address on Sunday evening, recorded as he was travelling in a train.

“First and foremost, security issues, support for our resilience, and support packages for our defence. First and foremost, air defence and long-term funding for Ukraine. Of course, we will discuss a shared vision and common positions in the negotiations.”

Ukraine is going through one of the most difficult stages in the nearly four-year war. Russian troops are slowly grinding forward in the east, and Ukrainian cities and towns are plunged into darkness for hours due to intensified Russian strikes on the energy grid and other infrastructure.

Washington proposed a ceasefire plan last month that endorsed many of Russia’s wartime demands. Kyiv’s European allies have since backed Ukraine in seeking to improve the terms.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner brought a revised plan to Moscow last week, then held several days of further talks with Ukrainian officials in Miami, which ended on Saturday with no breakthrough.

Zelenskiy called the discussions constructive but not easy.

Trump said on Sunday he was “disappointed” with Zelenskiy, who Trump said hadn’t read the latest proposed peace deal backed by the U.S.

Zelenskiy’s top negotiator Rustem Umerov said he would brief Zelenskiy about his team’s dialogue with U.S. officials and receive all documents related to the peace plan.

“The primary task of the Ukrainian team was to obtain from the American side full information about their conversation in Moscow and all drafts of current proposals to discuss them in detail with Ukraine’s President,” Umerov said.

U.S. officials said they are in the final stage of reaching an agreement. But there has so far been little sign that either Ukraine or Russia is willing to sign the framework deal drawn up by Trump’s negotiating team.

(Reporting by Olena Harmash in Kyiv and Anna Pruchnicka in GdanskEditing by Peter Graff)