Zelenskyy met with British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel
Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at 10 Downing Street for talks, as Russia’s war stretched into its fifth year.

The leaders “supported the proposal for a direct dialogue between Ukraine and Russia – with active US and European participation – to bring about a ceasefire and support further negotiations”, they said in a joint statement with Zelenskyy.

The statement added: “The current line of contact should be the starting point for negotiations. International borders must not be changed by force.”

Zelenskyy proposed a face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in an open letter on Thursday (local time). Putin ruled out the move, saying he saw “no point” in meeting Zelenskyy until a possible peace deal had been agreed.