US VP Vance, UK Secretary Lammy host Ukraine talks ahead of US-Russia summit

The statement comes after Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded with a pushback to the US president, who has said that an end to the war must involve “some swapping of territories”. Zelenskyy said Kyiv will make no territorial concessions to Russia, stressing that “Ukrainians will not give their land to occupiers.”

Today, Vice President Vance and UK Foreign Secretary Lammy met with officials from Ukraine and other European nations to discuss a route to peace in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/eFyTzzGIN3

— Vice President JD Vance (@VP) August 9, 2025

“You’re looking at territory that’s been fought over for three and a half years, a lot of Russians have died. A lot of Ukrainians have died,” Trump earlier said. Trump has agreed to meet Putin on Friday in Alaska, even as the Russian president declined to meet Zelenskyy, which has left the geopolitical pundits worried about Ukraine getting sidelined in negotiations.

Today I hosted a meeting with @AndriyYermak @rustem_umerov @JDVance and European National Security Advisers at Chevening House to discuss the next steps for peace in Ukraine.

The UK’s support for Ukraine remains ironclad as we continue working towards a just and lasting peace. pic.twitter.com/DXT7n4Pwpw

— David Lammy (@DavidLammy) August 9, 2025

The meeting on Saturday was held at Chevening, which is UK foreign secretary Lammy’s official country residence in Kent, where Vance and his family are staying, BBC reported.

Among the attendees, Rustem Umerov, secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, and Andriy Yermak, the head of Zelensky’s office were present during the meeting along with officials from the UK, US, EU, France, Germany, Italy, Finland and NATO.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer held a telephonic conversation with Ukraine’s Zelenskyy at the eve of the meeting, and said they agreed it would be a “vital forum” to discuss progress towards peace.