Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to meet French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer in London on Sunday, the Élysée Palace confirmed on Friday. The meeting, scheduled for 5:30 pm at Downing Street, will focus on intensifying pressure on Russia as it struggles with military reversals in its invasion of Ukraine.
The French presidency described Russia as being in a state of "military, economic and strategic failure" while persisting with a deadly war. The leaders will discuss the way forward and review efforts toward a just and lasting peace in Ukraine and across the European continent.
Coalition of the Willing and Peace Talks
Speaking at an EU-Western Balkans summit in Tivat, Montenegro, Macron also announced that the next meeting of the Coalition of the Willing will take place in Paris on 13–14 July. The coalition, spearheaded by France and the UK, includes around 25 countries committed to deploying a multinational force in Ukraine after a peace deal with Russia is signed.
Macron said, "We will meet President Zelenskyy in a few days to organise support within the Coalition of the Willing and structure it." The initiative aims to provide a credible security guarantee for Ukraine once hostilities cease.
Zelenskyy's proposal for a face-to-face meeting with Vladimir Putin, made in an open letter on Thursday, was praised by Macron as a "good initiative." The EU and Germany also welcomed the move. The Ukrainian leader expressed readiness for a "full ceasefire."
Overnight Strikes and Territorial Gains
Despite diplomatic overtures, Russian air strikes overnight into Friday killed at least seven people across Ukraine. An attack on a food processing plant in Brovary, near Kyiv, claimed four lives. The plant produced dairy products for children. Kyiv region governor Mykola Kalashnyk said on Telegram, "The enemy attacked a peaceful civilian food industry enterprise. Russia is demonstrating once again that its target is not military objectives, but ordinary people living and working on their own land." He warned that more victims may be trapped under rubble.
In the Zaporizhzhia region, a woman was killed, and two people died in strikes on the Dnipropetrovsk region, according to regional governor Oleksandr Ganzha. Ukraine's military reported that Russia launched 216 long-range drones and two missiles overnight, of which 198 were shot down.
On the battlefield, Ukraine recaptured more territory than it lost to Russian forces in May for the second consecutive month, according to an analysis of data from the Institute for the Study of War by AFP. This marks a continued shift in momentum, though fighting remains intense along multiple front lines.
The London meeting underscores the urgency among European leaders to coordinate a unified response as Ukraine seeks to leverage its recent gains. The Coalition of the Willing's planned deployment, once a peace deal is reached, could reshape the security architecture in Eastern Europe.
