President Volodymyr Zelensky will meet key European leaders in London on Monday, as Ukraine's allies plan their response to an ongoing US push for Kyiv to accept concessions in peace talks.
The leaders of France and Germany will join Zelensky and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer at No 10 as they seek to ensure any deal deters a future Russian attack.
The high-level meeting follows three days of talks in Florida, where Zelensky's chief negotiator pushed for changes to a White House plan widely considered to accommodate central Kremlin demands.
The US and Ukraine said there was progress but US President Donald Trump appeared to criticize Zelensky on Sunday, saying he hasn't read the draft.
Trump told reporters that he was a little disappointed that President Zelensky hasn't yet read the proposal, that was as of a few hours ago. He continued: His people love it... [Russia] would rather have the whole country when you think of it, but Russia is, I believe, fine with it - but I'm not sure that Zelensky is fine with it.
Trump appeared to be referring to the latest draft of the proposed peace deal, which was revised in Miami following talks led by Zelensky's new chief negotiator Rustem Umerov, and Trump's close aides, special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Around the same time as Trump's comments on Sunday, Zelensky said he was due to be briefed on the negotiations by Umerov either in London or Brussels, adding some issues can only be discussed in person as opposed to over the phone.
Zelensky added that discussions with Witkoff and Kushner were constructive, though not easy.
Monday's talks in London will feature Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who represent the three NATO nations with the largest military budgets, aside from the US.
Downing Street stated that the meeting would focus on the ongoing peace negotiations and next steps, while UK cabinet minister Pat McFadden indicated it would explore how to ensure Ukraine is able to decide its own future.
He emphasized the need for meaningful security guarantees in the event of a peace deal, asserting they should not be a toothless organisation.
The UK and France have spearheaded talks to form a so-called coalition of the willing – referred to as the Multinational Force Ukraine – to offer future defense support, which may include a reassurance force deployed in the country.
However, Germany and other European defense players, including Italy and Poland, have shown skepticism regarding the proposal of putting troops on the ground inside Ukraine.
The White House has been advocating for Kyiv and Moscow to swiftly agree to a multi-point plan to end the war, but progress remains elusive, particularly surrounding territorial concessions.
Intense fighting continues around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which poses additional complexities in negotiations. The difficulties concerning security guarantees and the handling of Ukraine's future NATO relations are sticking points that the involved leaders intend to address in their meeting.
