Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has expressed hope that Reform-led councils will allow Ukrainian flags to fly outside town halls again, remarking that “small mistakes can break big friendship.” Some Reform-run councils had removed the Ukrainian flag from civic buildings, which were originally hoisted in response to Russia's 2022 invasion, opting instead to display only local and Union flags.
Zelensky's Response
The gesture did not go unnoticed by the Ukrainian leader, who urged councils to reverse their decision in an interview with The Guardian. “I hope they will put it back,” Mr Zelensky told the newspaper after a meeting at No 10 with UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
“I don't want to be involved in any political things, but you know, the world is so sensitive today. Sometimes little, small mistakes can break big friendship or huge contacts,” he added. The Ukrainian leader suggested that “people have to not make mistakes,” before adding: “OK, so you did it, please let's come back to the table, let's speak, let's understand each other.”
UK-Ukraine Relations
In the same interview, Mr Zelensky emphasized the mutual importance of Ukraine and Britain in Europe's standoff against Russia. “British people helped us from the very beginning of this war, it's true. It's because of security, not only values... But it's about security in Europe. It's in the interests of the UK,” he said.
Mr Zelensky also revealed plans to invite King Charles for a state visit to Ukraine as early as this year, following the monarch's show of support after US President Donald Trump's heated exchange with the Ukrainian leader in the Oval Office a year ago. The King and Mr Zelensky met for a private audience on Monday.
Roman Abramovich's Role
In an interview with Sky News, Mr Zelensky disclosed that Roman Abramovich has acted as a go-between for Kyiv and Moscow regarding peace talks. The former Chelsea owner met Mr Zelensky in Kyiv with a message from Russia and offered to deliver a reply directly to Vladimir Putin.
Mr Zelensky said Mr Abramovich “wanted to give me the message that they (Russia) are ready to, that they want to understand what we are ready to do,” and offered to take a reply “and give it to Putin.” The Ukrainian president responded: “I said the question is not about us. You are fighting against us on our territory. And I said to him about Donbas, it was the key message, I said we will not leave and we will not go out from our territory. No, we will not give you a victory (in) such (a) way, and you will not get it.”
Mr Zelensky told Mr Abramovich to inform the Russian president he was willing to meet “any time from tomorrow” in any location other than Russia or Belarus, either bilaterally or with Mr Trump and European leaders. He did not specify when the meeting occurred, but the Financial Times reported the pair met in late May this year.
Mr Abramovich was sanctioned by the UK shortly after Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022 due to his connections to Mr Putin. He has previously been involved in negotiations and reportedly helped arrange a prisoner swap in 2022 that secured the release of five British men captured while fighting for Ukraine.
International Calls for Ceasefire
In a joint statement on Sunday night, Sir Keir, Mr Macron, and Mr Merz called on the Russian president to agree “an immediate and complete ceasefire” and condemned Russia's “large-scale missile and drone attacks” on Ukrainian cities. On the same day, a Russian drone strike killed three people waiting at a bus stop in south-eastern Ukraine, while a separate attack damaged a storage centre for spent nuclear fuel nine miles from the Chernobyl plant. Officials confirmed radiation remains within safe levels.
