The Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, has spoken with US President Donald Trump for what will likely be their final phone call of the year.
A spokeswoman for Downing Street said, “The two leaders began by reflecting on the war in Ukraine.
“The Prime Minister updated on work by the coalition of the willing to support any peace deal and ensure a just and lasting end to the hostilities.
“Turning to the Middle East, the leaders discussed the situation on the ground in Gaza.
“The Prime Minister also updated on the appointment of the new British Ambassador to the United States, Dr Christian Turner. The appointment would further deepen the relationship between the two countries, the Prime Minister added.
“The leaders wished each other a Merry Christmas and looked forward to speaking again soon.”
Meanwhile, a Kremlin official, Kirill Dmitriev, has said peace plan talks with the US were pressing on “constructively” in Florida.
Kirill Dmitriev met with US envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner in Miami on Saturday.
“The discussions are proceeding constructively,” Dmitriev told reporters, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported.
He said the talks would continue on Sunday.
Elsewhere, Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, wrote on Telegram that diplomatic efforts were “moving forward quite quickly, and our team in Florida has been working with the American side.”
This came after Ukraine’s chief negotiator said on Friday that his delegation had completed separate meetings in the United States with American and European partners.
On Sunday, the Kremlin denied that trilateral talks involving Russia, Ukraine, and the US were under discussion, after Zelenskyy previously said that Washington had proposed the idea of a discussion between the three countries.
“At present, no one has seriously discussed this initiative, and to my knowledge it is not being prepared,” Russian President Vladimir Putin’s foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov said, according to Russian state news agencies.
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