Volodymyr Zelensky says he has no right to give up Ukrainian land to Russia as part of any peace plan proposed by Donald Trump.

Zelensky was speaking after a meeting in London with Sir Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz, where Kyiv’s European allies pledged their renewed support.

Talks between the US and Ukrainian officials ended at the weekend with a 20-point proposal to end Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, but the question of what to do with occupied territories in the eastern Donbas remains a sticking point.

"Do we envision ceding territories?" Zelensky asked late on Monday.

"We have no legal right to do so, under Ukrainian law, our constitution and international law. And we don’t have any moral right either."

Trump accused Zelensky of having failed to read the latest version of the US-proposed plan, while insisting Putin was "fine with it”.

At the talks in No 10, the leaders discussed “positive progress” towards using frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine, Downing Street said.

No 10 said the leaders agreed that Europe must stand with Ukraine, strengthening its ability to defend against “relentless attacks that have left thousands without heat or light”.

Obstacles remain after US-Ukrainian peace talks

The US and Ukrainian negotiators completed three days of talks on Saturday aimed at trying to narrow differences on the US administration’s peace proposal.

Volodymyr Zelensky said on Telegram that talks had been "substantive" and that National Security and Defence Council secretary Rustem Umerov and Chief of the General Staff Andrii Hnatov were travelling back to Europe to brief him.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and prime minister sir Keir Starmer outside Number 10 Downing Street, London (Jonathan Brady/PA Wire)

A major sticking point in the plan is the suggestion that Kyiv must cede control of the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine to Russia, which illegally occupies most but not all of the territory. Ukraine and its European allies have balked at the idea of handing over land.

UK prime minister Keir Starmer said he "won’t be putting pressure" on Zelensky to accept a peace settlement.

Donald Trump has had a hot-and-cold relationship with Zelensky since winning a second term, insisting the war was a waste of US taxpayers’ money. Trump has also repeatedly urged the Ukrainians to cede land to Russia to end the nearly four-year conflict.

Namita Singh9 December 2025 04:38

European leaders back Kyiv amid Trump’s frustration

Sir Keir Starmer, French president Emmanuel Macron and German chancellor Friedrich Merz vowed to support Kyiv in their comments before Monday’s meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky, which lasted about two hours.

They met shortly after US president Donald Trump appeared to vent his frustration with Zelensky, claiming the Ukrainian leader "hasn’t yet read the [latest] proposal" for an end to Russia’s war.

Zelensky said on Monday that Trump "certainly wants to end the war. ... Surely, he has his own vision. We live here, from within we see details and nuances, we perceive everything much deeper, because this is our motherland".

Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky, Britain’s prime minister Keir Starmer, France’s president Emmanuel Macron and Germany’s chancellor Friedrich Merz chat on the 10 Downing Street doorstep after a meeting in central London (AFP via Getty Images)

Starmer said the push for peace was at a "critical stage," and stressed the need for "a just and lasting ceasefire”.

Merz, meanwhile, said he was "sceptical" about some details in documents released by the US. "We have to talk about it. That’s why we are here," he said.

"The coming days – could be a decisive time for all of us."

European leaders are working to ensure that any ceasefire is backed by solid security guarantees both from Europe and the US to deter Russia from attacking again. Trump has not given explicit guarantees in public.

Namita Singh9 December 2025 04:10

Anti-Ukrainian points removed from peace plan, says Zelensky

Volodymyr Zelensky said the current US peace plan differs from earlier versions in that it now has 20 points, down from 28, after some "obvious anti-Ukrainian points were removed."

Responding to reporters’ questions on WhatsApp about security guarantees, Zelensky said the main questions to be resolved are: "What if after the end of the war, Russia will start another aggression? What will the partners be ready for? What could Ukraine count on?"

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and prime minister Sir Keir Starmer outside Number 10 Downing Street, London (PA Wire)

The answers to these questions "must be in the core of the security guarantees for Ukraine," he said.

Namita Singh9 December 2025 04:00

Namita Singh9 December 2025 03:50

Kyiv needs more European cash for US weapons, says Zelensky

Ukraine is short of about $800m (£600m) to buy the US weapons it had planned to purchase this year with help from its European allies, President Volodymyr Zelensky says.

For next year, Ukraine would need about $15bn for the PURL (Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List) programme, which involves purchases of US weapons with European money, he said.

More than two-thirds of member states of Nato have committed to weapons for Ukraine through the scheme.

Jane Dalton9 December 2025 03:40

Zelensky and European leaders vow to keep up pressure on Putin

After the meeting, Keir Starmer, Volodymyr Zelensky and the other leaders called Kyiv’s European allies, urging them to keep up the pressure on Russian president Vladimir Putin.

"The leaders all agreed that now is a critical moment and that we must continue to ramp up support to Ukraine and economic pressure on Putin to bring an end to this barbaric war," Starmer’s office said in a statement.

"This is the furthest we’ve got in four years, and we welcome the fact that these talks are continuing at every level," said Starmer’s spokesman, Tom Wells.

He added that "intensive work" will continue in the days ahead, although "there are still outstanding issues”.

Macron’s office said the session allowed the leaders "to continue joint work on the US plan in order to complement it with European contributions, in close coordination with Ukraine”.

Namita Singh9 December 2025 03:24

The Independent View | There is still a way European leaders can help achieve a positive outcome for Ukraine

Still, no doubt, bathed in the warm, if also absurd, glow of being the first ever recipient of the Fifa Peace Prize, Donald Trump might be in the mood to promote a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, it would be nice to think. This would, aside from anything else, strengthen President Trump’s insistent claim on the Nobel Peace Prize, which has not quite been superseded in prestige by the cynical golden trophy that the president of Fifa, Gianni Infantino, presented to him.

Read The Independent’s view:

Alex Croft9 December 2025 03:00

Recap: Zelensky meets European allies in London

President Volodymyr Zelensky met with the leaders of Britain, France and Germany in London on Monday in a show of European support for Ukraine at what they jointly called a "critical moment" in talks to end the Ukraine war.

Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer held talks with Zelensky, French president Emmanuel Macron and German chancellor Friedrich Merz at No 10, with discussions focussed on ways to strengthen Ukraine’s hand amid mounting impatience from US president Donald Trump.

After the meeting, Starmer, Zelensky and the other leaders called Kyiv’s other European allies, urging them to keep up the pressure on Russian president Vladimir Putin.

Sir Keir Starmer (left) and Volodymyr Zelensky in Downing Street (Toby Melville/PA) (PA Wire)

"The leaders all agreed that now is a critical moment and that we must continue to ramp up support to Ukraine and economic pressure on Putin to bring an end to this barbaric war," Starmer’s office said in a statement.

Namita Singh9 December 2025 03:00

Mystery drones near Zelensky’s plane to be investigated

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has confirmed that unidentified drones were spotted near his plane to Ireland last week.

"There will be an investigation... There were drones indeed," he told reporters.

Irish local media reported on Thursday that a naval ship had spotted up to five drones operating near the flight path of the presidential plane.

Jane Dalton9 December 2025 01:30

In pictures: Sumy apartment building in flames as several injured in Russian strike

At least seven people were injured in the strike on Okhtyrka, a town in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region (via REUTERS)

Russia fired 149 drones overnight

The strike came before Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in London where he held talks with Sir Keir Starmer and other European leaders

Alex Croft9 December 2025 00:00