Starmer hosts Zelenskyy, Macron and Merz as Russian strikes kill 3 in Ukraine
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at 10 Downing Street to discuss Ukraine’s war effort, while Russian strikes killed three civilians in southeastern Ukraine and damaged a nuclear storage facility near Chernobyl. Zelenskyy emphasized Europe’s role in negotiations, and the meeting followed recent Ukrainian drone attacks on Russia, including a strike in Saint Petersburg, which embarrassed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s narrative of the war’s limited impact on daily life.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in London on Sunday for talks with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. The meeting at 10 Downing Street focused on strengthening Europe’s role in Ukraine’s war effort, including air defense support. Zelenskyy reiterated that Europe must be part of any negotiations to end the conflict, stating on X, ‘Europe must be part of the negotiations and must be strong.’ The E3 group—comprising the U.K., France, and Germany—has been a key backer of Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. The U.K. and France also lead the ‘coalition of the willing,’ which aims to provide security guarantees for Ukraine as part of a potential peace process. Meanwhile, Russian drone strikes in Ukraine killed three people waiting at a bus stop in Balabyne, Zaporizhzhia region, and wounded another. Separately, a drone attack damaged a storage center for spent nuclear fuel in Ukraine’s Kyiv region, just 15 kilometers from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. A fire was extinguished within an hour, and officials confirmed radiation levels remained safe. The International Atomic Energy Agency’s director-general, Rafael Grossi, called the incident ‘deeply concerning’ and announced plans to visit the site. Ukraine also struck Russia’s Kursk region, killing one man and injuring a woman, according to local Governor Alexander Khinshtein. The attacks follow a large-scale Ukrainian drone operation on Saturday targeting Saint Petersburg, Russia’s second-largest city, which disrupted Putin’s efforts to portray the war as distant from Russian daily life. Putin previously rejected Zelenskyy’s offer for a meeting, stating there was ‘no point’ in it. The war, now over four years old, remains stalled as drone swarms hinder advances on both sides. Recent strikes by Ukraine and Russia highlight the escalating long-range attacks, with neither side showing signs of backing down.
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