Ukraine’s allies meet in London amid escalating conflict, as Sir Keir Starmer prepares to host Volodymyr Zelensky alongside the leaders of France and Germany for talks at Downing Street on Sunday evening. The gathering of the so-called E3 group — the UK, France and Germany — with the Ukrainian president underscores their status as Kyiv’s staunchest backers, with London and Paris at the forefront of the “coalition of the willing” initiative designed to provide security guarantees for Ukraine as part of a broader peace process.
London summit: coalition of the willing
Downing Street confirmed that President Zelensky, President Emmanuel Macron and Chancellor Friedrich Merz will arrive at Number 10 on Sunday June 7 for what is expected to be a series of meetings. The trilateral meeting of the European leaders is scheduled to begin at 18:30 local time, followed by a second session with President Zelensky an hour later. The talks come at a critical juncture in the four-year-old war and are intended to co-ordinate continued military, economic and diplomatic support for Ukraine.
The UK has committed substantial military aid to Ukraine, totalling £10.8 billion to date, with a pledge to sustain £3 billion annually until 2030-31. Non-military commitments exceed £5.3 billion. Britain has also been a leading participant in Operation Interflex, the multinational training programme for Ukrainian personnel, which has trained more than 63,000 individuals. France has provided over €434 million in humanitarian aid as of September 2024, and its development agency now has a mandate to work on reconstruction projects in Ukraine. Paris is also involved in efforts to establish a special tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine and supports the International Criminal Court. Germany has supplied significant bilateral civilian support of approximately €41 billion and military support of around €55.5 billion since the invasion, and has proposed an “associate membership” status for Ukraine within the EU that could include security guarantees.
The coalition of the willing, which includes the UK and France, aims to deliver concrete security guarantees for Ukraine. The next meeting of the group is due to be hosted by France in Paris on July 13-14, 2026.
President Zelensky has previously visited the UK, most recently on February 8, 2023, when he met then-prime minister Rishi Sunak, addressed Parliament and had an audience with King Charles III. President Macron undertook a state visit to the UK from July 8-10, 2025, meeting Sir Keir Starmer and addressing Parliament. Chancellor Friedrich Merz visited London in December 2025 as part of a state visit by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier; his predecessor, Olaf Scholz, had also travelled to London multiple times, including a summit on European security and Ukraine in March 2025 hosted by Sir Keir.
Drone attack on St Petersburg
The London summit takes place against the backdrop of a large-scale Ukrainian drone attack on St Petersburg, Russia’s second-largest city, on Saturday June 6. The operation targeted naval arsenals and a base in Kronstadt, as well as an oil depot in the Krasnodar region, underscoring Kyiv’s growing ability to strike deep inside Russian territory. Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed its forces shot down 376 Ukrainian drones across multiple regions. In response, residents of St Petersburg were advised to stay indoors, and authorities warned of disruptions to mobile internet services. No casualties were immediately reported from the attack.
On the Ukrainian side, one person was killed and three wounded overnight into Saturday in the Dnipropetrovsk region, as Russian forces struck three districts nearly 30 times with drones and artillery, according to regional head Oleksandr Hanzha. Separately, seven people sought medical care in Zaporizhzhia after a Russian drone strike on a parking lot.
Putin rejects face-to-face talks
The diplomatic push in London also follows a blunt rejection by Vladimir Putin of a proposal from President Zelensky for face-to-face negotiations to end the war. Speaking on Friday June 5, Putin said he saw “no point” in a meeting, describing an open letter from Zelensky proposing the talks as “boorish” and containing “rude remarks”. Zelensky, in turn, criticised Putin’s response, suggesting it demonstrated Moscow’s lack of genuine interest in ending the conflict.
The meeting in London is scheduled for 18:30 local time on Sunday June 7, with the trilateral meeting of European leaders beginning immediately, followed by the meeting with President Zelensky an hour later.
