French, British and German leaders will hold a joint meeting with Ukraine’s president in London on June 7, the Elysee said in a statement issued on June 5. The gathering will bring together President Emmanuel Macron, Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Chancellor Friedrich Merz with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to continue coordination on assistance for Ukraine and to intensify pressure on Russia’s military campaign, the statement said.
The Elysee statement said: "This meeting will allow them to continue their close coordination on our shared agenda of continuing support for Ukraine and increasing pressure on Russia’s war effort." It added: "Russia is facing military, economic, and strategic failure - and persists, unsuccessfully, on the front lines in a deadly war."
Officials said the meeting is scheduled to take place in London. President Zelenskiy has called on European leaders to step up their efforts to help bring the conflict to an end, citing concern that U.S. President Donald Trump is distracted by developments related to Iran.
In a public appeal published on Thursday, Zelenskiy urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet with him to negotiate an end to more than four years of conflict. The Kremlin said Putin had been briefed on the letter.
Commenting on negotiations, Macron said on Friday: "We have always advocated for direct negotiations between Ukraine and the Kremlin... I think that it is Ukraine and Russia who can build both a ceasefire and a peace plan. It is the Europeans who can help with this." In remarks delivered in Montenegro, Chancellor Merz said: "we are open to dialogue, what is missing is Putin’s willingness."
The planned London meeting is intended to reinforce unity among the three European leaders and to map concrete steps for continued support of Ukraine while maintaining pressure on Russia’s operations. The Elysee framed the talks as part of an ongoing effort to align diplomatic, political and practical measures between France, the United Kingdom, Germany and Ukraine.
Details on the specific measures to be discussed or any public communiqué expected after the meeting were not provided in the Elysee statement. The announcement focused on the purpose of the talks - continued coordination on support for Ukraine and increasing pressure on Russia - and reiterated assessments about the state of the conflict from the French presidency.
Logistics
The meeting is due to take place in London on June 7 and will include Macron, Starmer, Merz and Zelenskiy, according to the Elysee. No further logistical details were included in the statement.