UPDATE - UK premier, Ukrainian president meet in London ahead of Trump-Putin meeting

UPDATES WITH MEETING BETWEEN UK PREMIER, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT; CHANGES HEADLINE, DECK, LEDE

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 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 ahead of the upcoming US-Russia summit.

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 through the US social media company X.

It comes just a day before a critical meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday at 11.30 local time (1930GMT).

The Alaska talks will be the first between sitting US and Russian presidents since the start of the Moscow-Kyiv war, which is nearing three-and-a-half years.

On Wednesday, Zelenskyy said Trump expressed his readiness to provide his country with security guarantees.

Meanwhile, Trump on the same day threatened his Russian counterpart with "very severe consequences" if he does not agree to end the war in Ukraine during their upcoming summit in Alaska.

Although European officials have welcomed Trump's initiative to bring peace, ending the Russia-Ukraine war, they have always been cautious, fearing that the US president might try to force Kyiv into carving up its territory.

Trump earlier said Russia and Ukraine would swap territories as part of a peace agreement.