UPDATES WITH UK STATEMENT ON STARMER, ZELENSKYY MEETING
By Burak Bir
LONDON (AA) - British Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in London for talks on Thursday, ahead of a summit on Friday between the US and Russian leaders in the US state of Alaska.
Starmer greeted Zelenskyy with a hug in Downing Street early Thursday, showing his support before the meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.
Following the talks, Starmer reiterated the UK's support for Ukraine.
"Great to see you, my friend @ZelenskyyUa. Britain will always stand with Ukraine," he said on US social media company X.
Later, a No. 10 spokesperson said in a statement that the leaders discussed Wednesday's meetings during a private breakfast. On Wednesday, Trump, Zelenskyy, and European leaders had a virtual meeting, and there was also a videoconference of leaders of the so-called coalition of the willing.
"They agreed there had been a powerful sense of unity and a strong resolve to achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine," said the spokesperson.
"They then looked ahead to tomorrow’s talks between President Trump and President Putin in Alaska, which present a viable chance to make progress as long as Putin takes action to prove he is serious about peace."
Trump and Putin are meeting in Alaska on Friday at 11.30 a.m. local time (1930GMT).
The talks will be the first between sitting US and Russian presidents since the start of the Ukraine war, which continues since February 2022.
Zelenskyy on Wednesday said Trump expressed his readiness to provide his country with security guarantees.
Trump says Russia and Ukraine would swap territories as part of a peace agreement. He has also threatened his Russian counterpart with "very severe consequences" if he does not agree to end the war in Ukraine at the summit.
Although European officials have welcomed Trump's initiative to bring peace and ending the war, they have been cautious, fearing the US president might try to force Kyiv into carving up its territory.