Lammy and Vance host national security advisers ahead of Trump-Putin summit
The Foreign Secretary will host a meeting of allied national security advisers on Saturday as Donald Trump pushes for a peace deal in Ukraine.
Downing Street announced that the meeting at David Lammy’s official country retreat, Chevening, would bring together advisers from the US, Europe and Ukraine to “discuss progress towards securing a just and lasting peace”.
It is understood the meeting was arranged at the request of the US and will be co-hosted by American vice-president JD Vance, who is staying in Kent at Chevening at the start of his UK holiday.
It comes after Mr Trump announced that he would meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on August 15 to discuss ending the war in Ukraine.
The US president had earlier suggested that any peace deal was likely to involve “some swapping of territories”, with reports suggesting this could involve Ukraine giving up its Donetsk region.
He had previously threatened to impose more stringent tariffs on Russia if Mr Putin did not agree to a ceasefire by Friday.
But Mr Zelensky has already rejected any proposal that would compromise Ukraine’s territorial integrity, saying Kyiv “will not give Russia any awards for what it has done” and that “Ukrainians will not give their land to the occupier”.
Ukraine’s constitution forbids giving away territory.
Mr Zelensky also warned that any peace agreement that excluded Ukraine would lead to “dead solutions”.
Ahead of the meeting at Chevening, Sir Keir Starmer discussed the talks in a call with Mr Zelensky on Saturday morning.
A Downing Street spokesperson said: “Both leaders welcomed President Trump’s desire to bring this barbaric war to an end and agreed that we must keep up the pressure on Putin to end his illegal war.
“The Prime Minister ended the call by reiterating his unwavering support for Ukraine and its people.”
Mr Lammy held formal talks with Mr Vance at Chevening on Friday, during which they were expected to discuss the war in Ukraine.
By Christopher McKeon, PA Political Correspondent