Ukrainian President Folodimir Zellinski joins European leaders in talks aimed at increasing pressure on US President Donald Trump alongside Ukraine during the Friday summit with his Russian counterpart in Alaska.
In an online call with Trump on Wednesday, leaders are expected to repeat that decisions should not be taken without Ukraine, including changing its borders by force.
Trump said that any peace deal will include “some land exchange” and believes that one of Vladimir Putin’s demands is that Kiev surrenders to the parts of the East Dunpas region that still controls.
On Tuesday, Zelinski said that such a privilege can be used as a starting point for future attacks from Russia.
Russia launched a large -scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
A Russian summer attack is advancing with the forces, which made a sudden payment force near the eastern town of Dobubilia and developed 10 km (six miles) in a short period of time.
While underestimating Russia’s progress, Zelensky said it was “clear to us” that Moscow’s goal is to create “a specific information space” before Putin meets Trump that “Russia is progressing, progressing, while Ukraine loses.”
There were no official details about what Putin demanded when Trump meets in Anchorage on Friday.
However, there was concern among European Ukraine allies about the possibility of Trump’s approval of Putin’s demands.
German Chancellor Friedrich Mirz contacted the meeting on Wednesday and Zelinski travels to Berlin to join him to make a video call with other European leaders, including UK Prime Minister Kiir Starmer, before the call with Trump.
Zelensky has already insisted that the Ukrainians would not “present their lands to the occupier” and referred to the country’s constitution, which requires a referendum before the change in its territory.
Last week, Trump said there would be “some land exchange to improve” Russia and Ukraine – Anxiety in Kyiv and through Europe Moscow can be allowed to re -draw the borders of Ukraine by force.
Russia is currently controlling less than 20 % of Ukrainian lands.
Donbas – consisting of the eastern regions of Luhansk and Donetsk – has partially occupied Russia since 2014.
Moscow now has almost all of Luhansk and about 70 % of Donetsk, but it spoke with correspondents on Tuesday, and Zelinski again confirmed that Ukraine will reject any suggestion to leave Donbas.
The White House said on Tuesday that Alaska’s talks would be a “listening exercise” for Trump and added his presence and Putin sat in the same room will give the US President “the best indication of how this war ended.”
This follows Trump, describing the summit as a “sense meeting” on Monday, and it seems that it removes expectations that the meeting on Friday, Ukraine and Russia, can be closer to peace.
When the summit was announced last week, Trump seemed to be positive that the meeting could lead to concrete steps towards peace.
“I think the intestine instinct really tells me that we have a bullet in it,” he said.
The Ukrainian leader has already said that any agreements without the involvement of Kyiv will be “dead decisions.”
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2025-08-13 07:20:00