Starmer to Host Zelenskyy, Macron and Merz for Ukraine Talks in London

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at Downing Street on Sunday for talks focused on support for Ukraine amid continued fighting with Russia.

The meeting comes after a week of escalating hostilities and follows Russian President Vladimir Putin's rejection of Zelenskyy's proposal for direct talks aimed at ending the four-year conflict.

The United Kingdom, France and Germany remain among Ukraine's key backers. London and Paris have also been leading the "coalition of the willing" initiative, which seeks to provide security guarantees for Kyiv as part of any future peace settlement.

The diplomatic discussions will take place against the backdrop of ongoing military exchanges between Russia and Ukraine.

On Saturday, Ukraine launched a large-scale drone attack targeting St Petersburg, Russia's second-largest city, highlighting Kyiv's ability to strike deep inside Russian territory. No casualties were immediately reported.

Meanwhile, Russian attacks continued across Ukraine. In the Dnipropetrovsk region, one person was killed and three others were injured overnight after Russian forces carried out nearly 30 strikes using drones and artillery, according to regional governor Oleksandr Hanzha.

Putin on Friday dismissed Zelenskyy's proposal for a face-to-face meeting, saying he saw "no point" in such talks.

US President Donald Trump said it would be "great" for the two leaders to meet, although his administration's recent diplomatic focus has largely centred on negotiations with Iran.

Starmer also reaffirmed Britain's support for Ukraine earlier this week during a phone call with Zelenskyy, in which he condemned Russia's continued attacks.

Russian strikes killed one person and injured 15 others, including three children, earlier in the week, while Ukrainian air defences worked to repel hundreds of long-range drones launched by Russian forces.

Ukraine has also stepped up attacks on Russian infrastructure, including a recent drone strike on an oil terminal in the Baltic port city of St Petersburg.

The talks in London follow a broader push by European leaders to strengthen regional security cooperation in response to Russia's actions.

Last month, Starmer and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk signed a new security agreement aimed at deepening defence cooperation between the two countries.

"There’s no greater challenge for either of our countries than the challenge of Russian aggression, and we see that not just in Ukraine itself, but beyond Ukraine, impacting on our own countries," Starmer said at the time.

"So, that’s the context in which we sign what is actually a generational uplift in the relationship on security and defence between our two countries."

(inputs from Guardian)