European allies of Ukraine expressed support for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, voicing doubts about parts of an American proposal to end the war with Russia. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz met with Zelenskyy in London for about two hours the day after U.S. President Donald Trump accused him of not being briefed on his latest proposal to resolve the conflict with Russia, the details of which have not yet been disclosed. At the start of the meeting, Merz expressed his «doubts» about «some details in the documents coming from the United States,» without specifying which documents he was referring to, and said: «This matter needs to be discussed, and that is why we are here.» Before the London talks, a high-ranking Ukrainian official told the France-Presse agency that the issue of territories remains «the most complex,» as Moscow demands the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from some areas they still control. Russia, which controls most of Donbas, wants control over the entire region, a demand that Kyiv has repeatedly rejected. The Ukrainian president said in an online press conference the night before: «Are we thinking of giving up territories? We have no legal right to do so, neither under Ukrainian law nor our constitution nor international law, and we have no moral right either. Frozen Russian assets Zelenskyy also held talks in Brussels on Monday evening with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. Von der Leyen stated on the X platform that «the European Union remains firm in its support for Ukraine,» stressing that «Ukraine's long-term security must be guaranteed as the Union's first line of defense.» Another key issue for Ukraine is the issue of «compensation» for war damages, as Zelenskyy mentioned on X after those meetings. A British official said he «hopes for progress soon» on the use of frozen Russian assets in Europe to fund Ukraine, and the EU hopes to reach an agreement on this at the upcoming European summit on December 18-19. Since the American plan, which was seen as Russia-friendly three weeks ago, European powers allied with Kyiv have been trying to make their voice heard. The French presidency said: «The London meeting made it possible to continue joint work on the American peace plan for Ukraine with a view to complementing it with European contributions, in close coordination with Kyiv.» Before the meeting, Starmer told ITV News the day before: «I will not put pressure on President Zelenskyy,» adding that «the most important thing is to achieve a fair and sustainable end to hostilities.» Disappointment Following a meeting in Geneva at the end of last November between Ukrainians, Americans, and Europeans, Russian President Vladimir Putin received American envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner last week. The Kremlin reported some progress, although much work still needs to be done. In response to a question at an event in Washington last Sunday, Trump, who sends mixed signals to Zelenskyy, criticized him for not being briefed on his plan. Trump said: «I spoke with President Putin and Ukrainian leaders, including Zelenskyy, and I have to say I am disappointed because President Zelenskyy has not read the proposal yet.»
