London Hosts Zelenskyy and European Leaders for Talks on Ukraine’s Security Guarantees

Key European leaders, among them UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, are set to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in London as they attempt to shape US-led peace talks in a way that would safeguard Ukraine from future Russian aggression.

This was reported by Bloomberg on December 8.

UK Cabinet Minister Pat McFadden said the discussions will be grounded in the principle that Ukraine must be able to decide its own future.

This is a really pivotal moment. Everybody wants the war to come to an end, but they want it to come to an end in a way that gives Ukraine that freedom of choice in the future,” UK cabinet minister Pat McFadden told Sky News on December 7, according to Bloomberg.

McFadden emphasized that this requires “a just end to the war,” as well as “security guarantees for Ukraine in the future.”

Bloomberg notes that European allies of Ukraine had hoped that if they could support Kyiv through the winter, Russia’s economic strains would worsen next year, weakening Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s negotiating position.

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War in Ukraine

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Signs of that strain are already visible. According to Reuters on December 5, Russia has deepened the discounts on its oil exports to China after both state-owned and private Chinese refineries reduced their buying, traders said.

Cargoes of Russia’s ESPO Blend scheduled for December delivery to Chinese ports are now being offered at steep discounts of $5–6 per barrel below Brent. Just a few months ago, in late September, Chinese buyers were paying a premium of $0.50–$1 above Brent for this Far East crude.

Earlier, Russian forces carried out a large-scale overnight attack on December 5–6, using both missiles and drones against Ukraine’s critical infrastructure. The strike damaged energy facilities in eight regions and left six of them facing power outages. At least three civilians were injured in the Kyiv region.

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