The place does a weekend of frantic talks go away them?

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is again in Kyiv after three frantic days – which started with him being ordered to depart the White Home following a tense and public showdown with Donald Trump and JD Vance on Friday.

He discovered a hotter welcome in London on the weekend, the place he was greeted by the prime minister exterior Downing Avenue, visited the King, and acquired a powerful present of help from European leaders at a summit on Sunday – a pointy distinction to the scenes within the Oval Workplace.

After the London summit, Sir Keir Starmer instructed European leaders would kind a “coalition of the prepared” to defend Ukraine – however particulars of who would contribute what have been scarce.

This is the most recent on Zelensky’s relationship with Trump, and Europe’s plans to ensure Ukraine’s safety.

In a collection of social media posts on Saturday morning, President Zelensky stated Ukraine and the US wanted to be “sincere and direct with one another” to know their shared objectives – and he wished America to “stand extra firmly” on their facet.

Showing on Fox Information hours after leaving the White Home, Zelensky stated the confrontation was a “actually powerful state of affairs” and took the prospect to thank People and Donald Trump. He additionally stopped in need of an outright apology regardless of calls from US lawmakers for him to take action.

Whereas Trump hasn’t commented straight on the offended change over the weekend, most Republican figures have expressed their help for Trump and Vance.

Nationwide Safety Adviser Mike Waltz – who was within the Oval Workplace throughout Friday’s heated assembly – in contrast the Ukrainian chief to an “ex-girlfriend”, whereas Speaker Mike Johnson referred to as for Zelensky to give up.

Nonetheless, reasonable Republican Nebraska Congressman Don Bacon stated it was “a nasty day for America’s overseas coverage” and Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski stated she is “sick to my abdomen because the administration seems to be strolling away from our allies and embracing Putin”.

Posts on social media in help of Zelensky poured in shortly after he left the White Home on Friday night. Among the many notable exceptions have been Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, who needs to protect her glorious relations with the Trump administration, and Hungary’s Viktor Orban, who praised Donald Trump for “standing bravely for peace”.

By the point the London summit got here round on Sunday, there was a way that concrete motion needed to comply with phrases of help – with most leaders cautious to focus on that they nonetheless thought of US help important.

On the finish of the summit, Starmer outlined a four-point plan for peace which included the continuation of army support to Ukraine, a dedication for Ukraine to be current at peace talks, boosting Ukraine’s defence capabilities to discourage future Russian aggression, and creating a “coalition of the prepared” to defend Ukraine, together with sending troops to Ukraine.

Starmer stated that the thought of sending troops to Ukraine – which would come with boots on the bottom and planes within the air – had the backing of a number of events, however he was cautious to depart it to particular person international locations to debate the matter internally.

Scandinavian international locations have already signalled they might be open to the thought. Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen stated she was holding an “open thoughts” on the proposal, whereas Sweden’s Ulf Kristersson stated his nation was prepared to offer Ukraine with safety ensures – if it had the backing of the US.

Italy’s Giorgia Meloni would a lot somewhat push for one more summit that features the US than focus on a European contingent in Ukraine – a chance which she says “perplexes” her.

And Poland – which has lengthy been one in every of Kyiv’s most vocal supporters – has already dominated out sending troopers, though it put few boundaries on humanitarian and army support to Ukraine.

European leaders will now have a number of days to digest the most recent developments earlier than they meet once more in Brussels on Thursday for a particular assembly on defence, at which Fee chief Ursula von der Leyen will current what she has referred to as “a complete plan on the right way to rearm Europe”.

On Sunday evening, the French newspaper Le Figaro reported that President Emmanuel Macron and Starmer have proposed a possible one-month truce between Russia and Ukraine, “within the air and at sea”.

Particulars of any settlement are scarce and the thought put ahead by the French stays simply that. Beneath the speculation, each side would agree a truce for 4 weeks within the air, on the ocean and round power infrastructure. However, Macron has instructed it might not cowl preventing on the bottom alongside the entrance line, as it might be too onerous to watch.

However on Monday morning, the UK’s armed forces minister performed down the thought of a truce insisting that “no settlement has been made on what a truce appears to be like like”.

Luke Pollard informed Instances Radio: “We’re working along with France and our European allies to have a look at what’s the path to how… we create an enduring and sturdy peace in Ukraine.”

Any truce must be agreed by Russia and there’s no proof but they’re prepared to try this.

Though Vladimir Putin has not but formally commented on the Washington encounter, the Kremlin’s overseas ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated it had been a “full diplomatic failure of Kyiv”.

On Monday morning, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov then added his criticism of the London summit on Ukraine.

“Statements have been made there about the necessity to step up funding for Ukraine as a matter of urgency. That is clearly not a part of a peace plan however is finished to proceed the preventing,” Peskov stated.

“The remaining will rely upon what sort of peace plans might be drawn up and provided for dialogue. Any constructive help for this course of could be welcome now, and any constructive initiatives.”

Remarking on the response to the conflict extra broadly, Peskov additionally instructed that “the collective West has partially begun to lose its collectivity”.