British, German, and French officials supported Ukrainian leader Zelenskyy's request for direct negotiations with Russian president Putin. European leaders convened with Zelenskyy in London.
With Russia's large-scale attack on Ukraine entering its fifth year, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer brought together Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European allies to discuss continued assistance to Kiev.
German leader Friedrich Merz and French president Emmanuel Macron attended the gathering.
The trio of European leaders lead an unofficial security partnership called the E3, which serves as one of Ukraine's key channels for global backing.
In a shared declaration, they expressed their backing for an initiative calling for a direct conversation between Zelenskyy and Russian leader Vladimir Putin—with involvement from the United States and Europe—to attempt to achieve a ceasefire.
"Leaders praised President Zelenskyy's demand for an end to the conflict through diplomatic channels, as outlined in his letter to the leader," the statement noted, referencing an open letter Zelenskyy sent to Putin recently, suggesting a direct meeting between them.
The message was disregarded by the Russian leader, who stated that the proposal seemed insincere.
Putin stated that he didn't see any benefit in meeting Zelensky before a potential peace agreement was reached.
Ukraine requires additional missiles, Zelenskyy informs Starmer
In the meantime, Zelenskyy—who met with European leaders at Downing Street—mentioned to the UK's Starmer that Kyiv requires more missiles for its air defense systems.
The Ukrainian leader stated on X that he had advised Keir regarding the necessity of more missiles for air defense systems, as well as the factors crucial for safeguarding energy infrastructure and getting ready for winter.
Following Sunday's discussions, Starmer, Merz, and Macron emphasized that Europe must have an important part in reaching any agreement, as a strong ally of Kyiv.
The United Kingdom and France are at the forefront of the so-called "Coalition of the Willing," an effort aimed at offering security assurances to Ukraine within a broader peace initiative, whereas Germany provides the highest level of backing to Kiev in total figures.
Russian unmanned aerial vehicle strikes nuclear fuel storage site
During the ongoing discussions, a Russian drone attacked a warehouse storing used nuclear fuel close to the abandoned Chernobyl (Chornobyl) power station, according to Ukrainian authorities on Sunday.
The United Nations' nuclear inspector, the IAEA, stated that it had received information about the incident and confirmed that radiation levels at the location stayed constant.
The location lies approximately 15 kilometers (9 miles) away from the Chernobyl power station, where the most severe nuclear accident in history occurred in 1986.
The event occurs just as UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer prepares to meet with Ukrainian, French, and German leaders to address continued assistance for Ukraine in its conflict against Russia's large-scale aggression.
What information do we have regarding the assault?
The Kyiv General Staff along with the national nuclear energy authority released individual statements regarding the event, mentioning that a structure used for receiving containers was partly damaged during the attack.
They claimed that the site had no used nuclear fuel present during the assault.
A blaze that started following the incident was controlled effectively, with no casualties noted.
In a declaration, the IAEA mentioned that a group will shortly go to the location "to examine the effects."
Zelenskyy describes the assault as "exceptionally despicable"
Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the assault as "a particularly despicable Russian operation."
Today, the Russians once more targeted the sensitive area near the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station. 'shahed' struck one of the structures at the Centralized Spent Fuel Storage Facility," he posted on X, mentioning a typical Russian assault drone.
Ukraine's foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, stated on X that this wasn’t the first instance where Russia endangered nuclear sites in Ukraine.
"Russia's use of nuclear intimidation and endangerment of nuclear security is widespread, intentional, and intolerable," he posted on X.
In February 2025, a protective structure above the damaged Chernobyl nuclear plant was struck by a Russian drone during an assault which Moscow has refuted.
Each side has also blamed the other for targeting the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant located in southern Ukraine.
Russian-aligned official reports one death following Ukraine drone strike on train
On Monday, a Ukrainian drone attack targeted a passenger train, resulting in the death of one driver and injury to another, according to an official aligned with Moscow.
"According to initial information, due to an enemy drone attack on the engine of a passenger train traveling along the Moscow-Simferopol line, the driver was injured and the co-driver lost his life," stated Sergey Aksyonov, the Moscow-appointed leader of the Crimean region, in a message posted on Telegram.
He mentioned that none of the travelers suffered injuries during the incident.
Edited by: Dmytro Hubenko, Rana Taha
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Writer: Dharvi Vaid, Timothy Jones (with Reuters, AFP)