Watch live as Sir Keir Starmer welcomes Volodymyr Zelensky to 10 Downing Street on Thursday, 14 August, a day before Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin are due to meet.
The UK prime minister’s meeting with the Ukrainian president comes after he vowed that Britain will “increase pressure” on Russia if necessary.
Meanwhile, the US president has threatened Russia with “severe consequences” if Russia rejects a ceasefire.
Sir Keir joined a call with the US president and European allies on Wednesday, praising Mr Trump for his efforts to advance a “viable” chance of an end to the conflict.
Concerns have been raised over the exclusion of Mr Zelensky in the meeting between Mr Trump and Putin; the Ukrainian leader has reiterated that there can be no talk of territorial concessions without his country’s involvement. Mr Trump said that if his meeting with the Russian leader goes well, he would like to have a quick second meeting with Putin and Mr Zelensky.
Mr Zelensky has warned Donald Trump and European leaders that Putin is “bluffing” over his intentions to end the war.
Sir Keir said ahead of the Friday meeting: “As I’ve said personally to President Trump for the three-and-a-bit years this conflict has been going on, we haven’t got anywhere near a prospect of actually a viable solution, a viable way of bringing it to a ceasefire.
“And now we do have that chance, because of the work that the president has put in.”
