The leaders of France, Germany and Britain staged a strong show of support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in London on Monday (December 8) at what they described as a "crucial time" for Kyiv, under U.S. pressure to agree a proposed peace deal with Russia.

At a hastily arranged meeting, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Zelenskiy said they wanted to come up with firm plans in case of a peace deal.

The publication of a U.S. ceasefire plan last month has gone some way to focus the minds of European leaders, who fear that Kyiv could be forced to accept terms that are favourable to Moscow and which some say could destabilize the continent.

Ukraine is enduring one of the toughest stages of the nearly four-year war. Russian troops are slowly grinding forward in the east, and Ukrainian cities and towns are suffering hours-long power cuts due to intensified Russian strikes on the energy grid and other crucial infrastructure.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

. BRITISH PRIME MINISTER KEIR STARMER, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKIY, FRENCH PRESIDENT EMMANUEL MACRON AND GERMAN CHANCELLOR FRIEDRICH MERZ COMING OUT OF 10 DOWNING STREET, EMBRACING AND TALKING / MACRON AND MERZ WALKING OFF / ZELENSKIY AND STARMER WALKING BACK INSIDE 10 DOWNING STREET