Zelensky pushes Europe to revive Ukraine peace talks as Putin rejects direct meeting
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in London on Sunday for a high-stakes summit with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, as Kyiv seeks to revive stalled peace talks with Moscow amid shifting global priorities.
Zelensky’s visit follows reports that he used businessman Roman Abramovich to deliver a proposal for a direct meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, though the Kremlin has yet to respond positively. According to the *Financial Times* , Abramovich met Zelensky in Kyiv before conveying the offer to Putin, who has dismissed the idea as “not useful.” The Ukrainian leader has framed the trip as a push to bring Europe back to the negotiating table after Washington’s focus shifted to the escalating conflict with Iran.
The London summit, held in the E3 Plus Ukraine format, aims to coordinate European support for Kyiv and explore diplomatic avenues to end the war. “We will not die in silence,” Zelensky said in a pre-trip address to Europe, warning that Ukraine could extend the conflict to Moscow if negotiations fail . The meeting comes as Russian strikes damaged a nuclear fuel storage site near Chernobyl, underscoring the war’s escalating risks .
European leaders are under pressure to fill the diplomatic void left by the U.S., which has reduced its mediation role. Macron, Merz and Starmer are expected to discuss long-term security guarantees for Ukraine and potential frameworks for future negotiations. “The Europeans want to get the peace process back on track,” said *Die Presse* .
Zelensky’s push for European leadership follows a week of intense diplomacy, including a surprise visit to Kyiv by Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar, who lifted Budapest’s long-standing veto on Ukraine’s EU accession talks after securing concessions on minority rights . Meanwhile, Ukraine’s parliament approved a law integrating its energy markets with the EU, a move aimed at reducing electricity shortages .
As the summit begins, the question remains whether Europe can broker a breakthrough—or if the war will continue to escalate without a clear path to peace.