Starmer absent from Zelenskyy and EU leaders call, Telegraph reports why
Photo: Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Keir Starmer (GettyImages)
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer did not take part in a key conversation between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders due to a busy work schedule, according to The Telegraph.
On Saturday evening, Zelenskyy held a phone call with the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, and Poland ahead of his pivotal meeting with US President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago. The meeting is expected to be a potential turning point in Russia's war against Ukraine and to focus on ways to end it.
The UK was represented in the talks by National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell. The prime minister's office said Starmer's participation had not been planned from the outset and noted that Powell regularly joins such contacts on behalf of London. National security advisers from other European countries also took part in the call.
Downing Street stressed that Starmer remains in regular contact with Zelenskyy and global leaders but was unable to join this particular conversation due to "diary pressures." Officials added that he had spoken earlier with the leaders of France, Germany, and Italy and remains actively engaged in ongoing diplomacy aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.
Later that evening, Zelenskyy made a stop in Canada en route to the US, where he met with Prime Minister Mark Carney. During the talks, Ottawa confirmed a new $2.5 billion aid package for Ukraine.
Afterward, the Ukrainian president again held a call with European leaders, stressing the need for "strong positions" to compel Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to adhere to a future peace agreement.
Participants in that discussion included French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
Trump–Zelenskyy meeting
A meeting between US President Donald Trump and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is scheduled for December 28 at Trump's residence in Florida, where the sides are expected to discuss a peace plan.
Media reports say Zelenskyy intends to use the talks to resolve key differences over the document. He has previously said he would raise issues of territorial integrity, including Donbas and the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.
Zelenskyy has also said the agenda would include five core points, among them security guarantees, military issues, a reconstruction plan, and the next steps.
It is now known that Zelenskyy has already arrived in Florida, and his meeting with Trump will take place earlier than originally planned.
