London [UK], August 10: British Foreign Secretary David Lammy was scheduled to host a meeting of allied national security advisers on Saturday as US President Donald Trump pushes for a peace deal in Ukraine.
Downing Street announced that the meeting at Lammy's official country retreat, Chevening, would bring together advisers from the US, Europe and Ukraine to "discuss progress towards securing a just and lasting peace." It is understood the meeting was arranged at the request of the US and will be co-hosted by US Vice President JD Vance, who is staying in Kent at Chevening at the start of his UK holiday.
It comes after Trump announced that he would meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on August 15 to discuss ending the war in Ukraine.
The US president had earlier suggested that any peace deal was likely to involve "some swapping of territories", with reports suggesting this could involve Ukraine giving up its Donetsk region. But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has already rejected any proposal that would compromise Ukraine's territorial integrity, saying Kiev "will not give Russia any awards for what it has done" and that "Ukrainians will not give their land to the occupier." Ukraine's constitution forbids giving away territory. Ahead of the meeting at Chevening, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer discussed the talks in a call with Zelensky on Saturday morning.
A Downing Street spokesperson said: "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.
Source: Qatar Tribune