Published: 09 August 2025. The English Chronicle Desk
British foreign secretary David Lammy and United States vice-president JD Vance are set to host a high-level meeting this evening at Chevening in Kent, bringing together Ukrainian and European representatives to discuss renewed efforts for peace in Ukraine. Downing Street confirmed that the talks, convened at the request of Washington, will focus on the next steps in a US-led diplomatic push to end the war and examine how Kyiv’s allies can reinforce the initiative.
The summit comes at a critical moment, just days before a planned meeting between US president Donald Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin in Alaska next Friday. The announcement of that meeting has already provoked unease in Kyiv, particularly after Trump remarked that resolving the conflict might require “some swapping of territories” — a suggestion firmly rejected by Ukraine. Speaking early on Saturday, president Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared: “Ukrainians will not give their land to occupiers.”
Zelenskyy has warned that any peace arrangements made without Ukraine’s direct participation would be doomed to fail, calling them “dead decisions” that would bring neither stability nor genuine peace. His comments followed reports that Trump is prepared to meet Putin even if the Russian leader refuses to meet with him. The Ukrainian president has, in recent days, engaged in urgent talks with both the US administration and European leaders to ensure Ukraine is fully represented in any negotiations.
Earlier on Saturday, UK prime minister Keir Starmer spoke by telephone with Zelenskyy. According to a No. 10 spokesperson, both leaders welcomed Trump’s stated desire to end what Starmer described as a “barbaric war,” while agreeing that sustained international pressure on the Kremlin remains essential. The prime minister reiterated Britain’s “unwavering support for Ukraine and its people” during the call.
In Europe, diplomatic activity has intensified ahead of the Trump-Putin meeting. On Friday, Polish prime minister Donald Tusk suggested the conflict might be approaching a potential “freeze,” though he emphasised that any pause must lead toward a lasting resolution rather than a temporary stalemate.
If Friday’s Alaska summit proceeds, it will mark the first face-to-face encounter between a US president and Vladimir Putin since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The last such meeting took place in Geneva in June 2021, when Putin met then-president Joe Biden.
Tonight’s gathering at Chevening, steeped in diplomatic symbolism, underscores Britain’s determination to remain an active partner in the search for peace while reaffirming solidarity with Ukraine at a time when the shape and direction of negotiations remain uncertain.
























































































