Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was set to meet with key European allies after US President Donald Trump accused him of not reading the latest peace proposal.
The December 8 talks in London follow three days of negotiations between Ukrainian and US officials near Miami, as negotiators try to find agreement on an US-draft peace proposal released last month.
The 28-point plan was seen as heavily favorable to Russia, and Ukraine has pushed back on some of the more strident hard-line demands that President Vladimir Putin has pushed since before the February 2022 invasion.
"We are starting a new diplomatic week right now -- there will be consultations with European leaders. First and foremost, security issues, support for our resilience, and support packages for our defense," Zelenskyy said in his nightly address, recorded on a train on December 7.
Zelenskyy's London meetings include Kyiv's biggest backers in Europe: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
Meanwhile, in Washington on December 7, US President Donald Trump criticized his Ukrainian counterpart, saying he was "a little bit disappointed."
"We've been speaking to President Putin and we've been speaking to Ukrainian leaders, including Zelenskyy, President Zelenskyy, and I have to say that I'm a little bit disappointed that President Zelenskyy hasn't yet read the proposal, that was as of a few hours ago," Trump told reporters.
Following negotiations in Miami, Zelenskyy said he had spoken with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner-- who have led the negotiations on behalf of the White House.
"The American envoys are aware of Ukraine's core positions, and the conversation was constructive though not easy," Zelenskyy said.
Meanwhile, Russia continued its air strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure as winter temperatures fall.
Russian forces attacked Okhtyrka in the Sumy region on the night of December 8, according to regional authorities.
Governor Oleh Hryhorov said seven people were injured in a strike on a nine-story residential building, all of whom were taken to a hospital.
According to Ukrainian emergency officials, firefighters extinguished a blaze on the second to fifth floors and evacuated 35 residents, rescuing seven people, including one child, from damaged apartments.
In Chernihiv, an apartment building was damaged as a result of the fall of a Russian drone. Three people were injured, one of whom was hospitalized, emergency officials said in a post to Telegram..
Ahead of Zelenskyy's planned visit, Brussels, and Rome to discuss the peace process, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni spoke by phone with him.
She reaffirmed Rome's solidarity with Kyiv and pledged to supply emergency aid to support Ukraine's energy infrastructure and its population, according to a statement from her office.
The office added that Italy will deliver additional supplies, including generators, to support energy infrastructure and the Ukrainian population, and that the goal remains a lasting and just peace.
