UK researchers: talks 'positive'

British parliamentary researchers said recent meetings involving President Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders were “largely positive,” but they also said the push toward peace still faces major gaps. (commonslibrary.parliament.uk) The House of Commons Library said Trump met Vladimir Putin in Alaska in August 2025 to discuss both United States-Russia relations and the war in Ukraine. It said that summit was followed by meetings in Washington with Zelenskyy and European leaders. (commonslibrary.parliament.uk) The same briefing said the biggest unresolved disputes are over territorial concessions and the terms of any ceasefire. It also said direct talks between Putin and Zelenskyy, which the United States has called the next step, have not yet been agreed. (commonslibrary.parliament.uk) That leaves Ukraine’s diplomacy in a narrow channel. The European Council said on March 19, 2026 that any peace must respect Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and that Russia should accept a “full, unconditional and immediate ceasefire.” (consilium.europa.eu) The current talks follow a sharp policy shift in Washington after Trump returned to office. A separate Commons Library briefing said his administration pushed for an interim 30-day ceasefire, questioned Ukraine’s NATO membership bid and signaled that Kyiv might have to accept terms less favorable than the ones Zelenskyy had promoted earlier. (commonslibrary.parliament.uk) That earlier phase also drew criticism from Ukraine and Europe. The Commons Library said Trump and Putin spoke on February 12, 2025, United States and Russian officials then met in Saudi Arabia on February 18, and Zelenskyy said Ukraine would not accept any deal made without Ukrainian participation. (commonslibrary.parliament.uk) By December 15, 2025, European leaders were publicly describing “significant progress” and “strong convergence” among the United States, Ukraine and Europe. Their joint statement backed security guarantees, economic recovery support and a European-led force for Ukraine backed by the United States. (consilium.europa.eu) European governments are still trying to shape the outcome while the fighting continues. In Berlin on April 14, 2026, Zelenskyy met German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to discuss European involvement in peace talks, European Union membership and a bilateral drone deal. (dw.com) For now, the British parliamentary view is that the talks moved forward without settling the hardest questions. The meetings produced a more workable diplomatic track, but not yet an agreed map for borders, a ceasefire or face-to-face talks between the two wartime presidents. (commonslibrary.parliament.uk)