Zelensky heads to London to press Britain, France and Germany on peace talks

Volodymyr Zelensky was due in London on Sunday for talks with Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz, a meeting that will test whether Europe can do more than reinforce Washington’s line on Ukraine as Donald Trump’s attention shifts elsewhere. The British, French and German leaders, known as the E3, have been among Kyiv’s closest European backers since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, and they are now being pushed to help shape both a ceasefire and a peace plan.

Zelensky is pressing the three governments to step up because he fears Trump is distracted by the conflict between Israel and Iran and, more broadly, that the United States is stepping back as a mediator. In an open letter published on Thursday, Zelensky urged Vladimir Putin to meet him directly to try to end more than four years of war, the first public message he has written directly to the Russian president since the invasion began in 2022. Putin dismissed the appeal on Friday, saying he saw “no point” in meeting Zelensky at this stage.

The London talks come after a large-scale Ukrainian drone attack targeted St. Petersburg, Russia’s second-largest city, a strike that underlined Kyiv’s reach deep inside Russia. Russian officials said three people suffered minor injuries and residents were told to stay indoors. For Zelensky and his allies, the attack reinforced a central argument: Moscow should be pushed into negotiations from a position of greater weakness, not rewarded for prolonging the war.

Britain and France are already leading the “coalition of the willing” initiative, which is meant to provide security guarantees for Ukraine as part of any peace process. That effort includes planning for a multinational force if a ceasefire is reached, giving the European side at least a framework for postwar enforcement or deterrence. Macron has said Europe can help build a ceasefire and peace plan, and the London meeting is meant to turn that political language into something more concrete.

The practical limits, however, remain clear. Britain, France and Germany can tighten economic pressure, expand military aid and offer diplomatic cover, but they cannot force the Kremlin to negotiate. What is at stake in London is whether the E3 can convert support for Ukraine into real leverage over Moscow, or whether Europe will be left managing the conflict’s diplomacy while the United States recedes from the center of it.