‘Security Must Be Guaranteed’: Ukrainian President Zelenskyy Meets With Top European Leaders in London

Latest Developments

Leaders Meet To Discuss Sticking Points: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on December 8 in London to discuss ways of overcoming sticking points in the U.S.-proposed peace plan for Ukraine. “We are joining our efforts to end this war with a decent peace for Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said, stressing that “security must be guaranteed.” French President Emmanuel Macron stated that Ukraine and its allies have “a lot of cards” and needed to finalize the peace negotiations with the “best possible conditions for Ukraine, for the Europeans, and for collective security.”
Miami Talks Fail To Produce Breakthrough: Ukrainian and U.S. negotiators ended several days of discussions in Miami on December 6 with key issues remaining unresolved. “The main challenges at this stage concern questions of territory and guarantees, and we are actively seeking optimal formats for addressing them,” explained Olga Stefanishyna, Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States. The talks followed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s rejection of parts of a refined peace proposal presented to him by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and White House advisor Jared Kushner, reiterating his demand to control Ukraine’s entire Donbas region, including those parts that the Russian army does not currently occupy. On December 7, Trump expressed disappointment with Zelenskyy, stating, “Russia is, I believe, fine [with the proposal], but I’m not sure that Zelenskyy’s fine with it. His people love it, but he hasn’t read it.”
UK Unveils Initiative To Counter Russian Undersea Threats: The UK Ministry of Defense on December 8 announced the Royal Navy’s new Atlantic Bastion program, an initiative involving drones, warships, and surveillance aircraft to protect undersea infrastructure and counter Russian undersea threats. The ministry stated that the program was “in direct response to the resurgence in Russian submarine and underwater activity.” There has been a reported 30 percent increase in the number of Russian craft threatening UK waters in the last two years, while the British parliament’s National Security Strategy Committee warned in September that an attack on undersea cables could cause “catastrophic disruption” to financial and communication systems across the country.

FDD Expert Response

“President Trump is negotiating this in an ineffective manner — manipulating, pressuring, and complaining about the aggrieved party, Ukraine, instead of addressing the recalcitrant aggressor, Russia. His efforts will not succeed until he puts pressure on Putin.” — RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, Senior Fellow and Senior Director of FDD’s Center on Cyber and Technology

“Vladimir Putin’s strategy is to isolate Ukraine and coerce Kyiv into a bad peace on Moscow’s terms. President Zelenskyy’s London summit does the opposite. He is solidifying the backing of Europe’s major powers, fortifying Kyiv’s hand to ensure a just and lasting peace. The United States should support this effort and not undercut it.” — Peter Doran, Adjunct Senior Fellow