UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy and US Vice President JD Vance will host a meeting of national security advisers from Europe and the US on Saturday, August 9, to discuss Russia's war in Ukraine, Prime Minister Keir Starmer's office said.
The meeting will be "a vital forum to discuss progress towards securing a just and lasting peace," Downing Street said, in an account of a phone call Saturday between Starmer and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. "Both leaders welcomed President Trump's desire to bring this barbaric war to an end and agreed that we must keep up the pressure on Putin to end his illegal war," the readout added. "The Prime Minister ended the call by reiterating his unwavering support for Ukraine and its people."
It follows confirmation that Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin will hold talks in Alaska next Friday in a bid to end the war, which was triggered by Russia's February 2022 invasion. There has been no mention yet of Ukrainian participation in next Friday's summit, despite Kyiv and European capitals insisting that the war-torn country must be part of the negotiations.
However, Ukraine's national security adviser will participate in Saturday's meeting, alongside other European and American counterparts, Downing Street noted.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said after the announcement of the talks that "Ukrainians will not give their land to the occupier." He later urged allies to take "clear steps" in ending Moscow's invasion during a telephone call with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Saturday after Russia and the US agreed on a summit. "Clear steps are needed, as well as maximum coordination between us and our partners. We value the determination of the United Kingdom, the United States, and all our partners to end the war," he said in a social media post.
"The future of Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukrainians," French President Emmanuel Macron said on Saturday. "Europeans will also necessarily be part of the solution because their security is at stake," Macron wrote on X, after speaking with Zelensky on Saturday, adding that he also spoke with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Vance is currently in the UK on holiday, kicking off his visit Friday by meeting Lammy at the British government's country retreat in Chevening in Kent, southeast of London.
It is understood the United States requested Saturday's meeting to discuss the next steps in Trump's push for peace, and that it will be hosted from Chevening. Talks are expected to last the day in Kent, according to UK government sources.