Starmer was not present during European leaders' phone call with Zelenskyy: Telegraph learned the reason
Kyiv • UNN
Why Keir Starmer was not present during Zelenskyy's phone call with European leaders, The Telegraph found out.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was absent from important negotiations with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders due to a "busy schedule," The Telegraph reported, citing a statement from Downing Street, UNN writes.
Details
On Saturday evening, the President of Ukraine held talks with the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, and Poland before his key meeting with US President Donald Trump in Mar-a-Lago on Sunday.
His summit with the US President is expected to be a "seismic moment" in Russia's war against Ukraine and will focus on how to end the war.
"Great Britain was represented at the talks by Jonathan Powell, Great Britain's national security adviser," the publication says.
Downing Street stated that Keir Starmer's participation in the negotiations "was not planned" and emphasized that Powell regularly joins these conversations to represent Great Britain.
The office of the British Prime Minister added that other European national security advisers were also on the call.
"Downing Street sources said that Sir Keir frequently speaks with Mr. Zelenskyy and other world leaders, but a 'busy schedule' prevented him from joining Saturday's meeting," the publication said.
They added that he spoke with the E3 leaders - France, Germany, and Italy - on Friday and is engaged in "constant diplomacy" when it comes to efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
On his way to Florida, Zelenskyy landed in Nova Scotia on Saturday evening for a meeting with Mark Carney, the Prime Minister of Canada, who confirmed an additional aid package of 2.5 billion Canadian dollars for Ukraine.
After the meeting, they held a phone conversation with European leaders, during which Zelenskyy emphasized that "strong positions are needed" to force Kremlin head Vladimir Putin to adhere to a peace agreement.
The conversation was joined by Emmanuel Macron, President of France, Giorgia Meloni, Prime Minister of Italy, Friedrich Merz, Chancellor of Germany, Donald Tusk, Prime Minister of Poland, and Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary General.
After the meeting, Zelenskyy wrote on X: "During our conversation, we discussed our current progress on the diplomatic front. We discussed the most important priorities together. Ukraine appreciates all support. Tomorrow, after the meeting with President Trump, we will continue our discussion. Strong positions are needed both on the front and in diplomacy to prevent Putin's manipulations and avoid a real and just end to the war. The world has enough strength to guarantee security and peace."