U.S. Vice President JD Vance met Saturday at Chevening House in Kent, England, with UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy and representatives from Ukraine and Europe in what a U.S. official described as “significant progress” toward ending the war in Ukraine. The meeting, hosted by Lammy at Washington’s request, lasted several hours and was aimed at advancing President Donald Trump’s stated goal of securing peace between Russia and Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking from Kyiv, called the talks “constructive” and said that “all our messages were conveyed.” He reiterated that Ukraine has supported Trump’s proposals since February, including a potential ceasefire, but stressed his government would not recognize any territories seized by Russia. “We will not give our land to the occupier,” Zelensky said.
The Chevening House discussions come days before President Trump’s scheduled summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, the first meeting between the two leaders since 2019. While the White House has not ruled out Ukrainian participation in the Alaska talks, it indicated the primary focus will be direct discussions between Trump and Putin.
European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Finnish President Alexander Stubb, issued a joint statement Monday backing Ukraine’s territorial stance. “We remain committed to the principle that international borders must not be changed by force,” the leaders declared, calling the current line of contact “the starting point of negotiations.”
The statement affirmed continued European unity behind Ukraine and cooperation with the Trump administration. “We will continue to cooperate closely with President Trump and with the United States of America, and with President Zelenskyy and the people of Ukraine, for a peace in Ukraine that protects our vital security interests,” it read.
