Kyiv, Aug 14 (AP) British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is poised to host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in London on Thursday morning.
This marks the latest encounter between the Ukrainian leader and a European head of state, as the continent anticipates a critical US-Russia summit in Alaska scheduled for Friday.
Zelenskyy's visit to the British capital follows a day of virtual meetings from Berlin with US President Donald Trump and leaders from several European countries.
According to these leaders, Trump assured them he would prioritize efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Ukraine during his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday in Anchorage.
There is widespread concern among Zelenskyy and the Europeans that the bilateral US-Russia summit might sideline their interests.
Any agreements reached at the summit risk tilting in favor of Moscow, jeopardizing Ukraine and Europe's future security with Russia's full-scale invasion now in its fourth year.
Despite these concerns, some European leaders, such as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron, found the video conference with Trump on Wednesday to be constructive.
Following the meetings, Trump warned of “very severe consequences” for Russia should Putin refuse to halt the war against Ukraine after their Friday rendezvous.
Territorial Integrity Starmer remarked on Wednesday that the Alaska summit would be “hugely important” and has the potential to pave a “viable” path to a ceasefire in Ukraine.
However, he acknowledged European apprehensions regarding the possibility of Trump striking a deal that would require Ukraine to relinquish territory to Russia, emphasizing that Western allies should be prepared to escalate pressure on Russia if necessary.
During a call among leaders from countries that form the “coalition of the willing” — those committed to policing any future peace agreement between Moscow and Kyiv — Starmer emphasized that any deal to end the conflict must safeguard Ukraine's “territorial integrity.”
“International borders cannot be, and must not be changed by force,” he asserted.
“That is a long-standing principle of this group. Furthermore, discussions on borders, diplomacy, and ceasefire need to be paired with a robust and credible security guarantee to ensure that any achieved peace is lasting, allowing Ukraine to defend its territorial integrity as part of any settlement.”
Ukrainian Skepticism As another high-stakes meeting concerning their nation’s future looms, some Ukrainians remain skeptical regarding the potential for significant advancements stemming from Friday’s US-Russia summit.
Oleksandra Kozlova, a 39-year-old department head at a digital agency in Kyiv, expressed to The Associated Press on Wednesday, “I believe Ukrainians have already lost hope that meaningful progress can be made in ending the 3 1/2-year-old war."
“I don't think this round will be decisive,” she added. "There have been plenty of meetings and negotiations promising us, the regular people, that resolutions will be achieved, that improvements will be made, that the war will cease.
Unfortunately, this has not occurred, and thus personally, I do not foresee any changes forthcoming.”
Anton Vyshniak, a car salesman in Kyiv, argued that Ukraine's current priority should be saving the lives of its military personnel, even if it means making territorial concessions.
“Preserving the lives of male and female service members is paramount at the moment.
After all, our human resources are dwindling.” He continued, “Borders are borders, but human lives are invaluable.
Therefore, some principles may need to be forsaken here.”
Russia and Ukraine Trade Strikes Overnight Wednesday, Russian strikes in Ukraine's Sumy region resulted in numerous injuries, according to Ukrainian regional officials.
A missile attack on a village in the Seredyna-Budska community injured a 7-year-old girl and a 27-year-old man, as reported by regional governor Oleh Hryhorov.
The girl has been hospitalized and is in stable condition.
Meanwhile, in the southern Kherson region, Russian artillery fire struck the village of Molodizhne on Thursday morning, injuring a 16-year-old boy, per regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin.
The teenager sustained an explosive injury, shrapnel wounds to his limbs, and an acute stress reaction.
He remains hospitalized in moderate condition, Prokudin mentioned.
In Russia, an oil refinery within the Volgograd region caught fire following a Ukrainian drone assault overnight, according to local governor Andrei Bocharov.
As one of the leading producers of petroleum products in southern Russia, the refinery has reportedly been a frequent target of drone attacks, as stated by Russian independent news outlet Meduza.
Overall, Russia's Defence Ministry announced the destruction of 44 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions and the annexed Crimea overnight.
In Belgorod, the namesake region’s largest city at the border with Ukraine, three civilians were injured in a Ukrainian drone strike, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov reported, adding that a government building was damaged in the attack. (AP) SCY SCY
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