Zelensky: No peace from Trump, Putin decision on Ukraine

KYIV (AFP) — President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday warned that “decisions without Ukraine” would not bring peace and ruled out ceding territory to Russia.

“Ukrainians will not give their land to the occupier,” he said on social media, as United States President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin prepare to hold a summit next week in Alaska to discuss peace in Ukraine.

“Any decisions against us, any decisions without Ukraine, are also decisions against peace. They will achieve nothing,” he said, adding that the war “cannot be ended without us, without Ukraine.”

Announcing the summit with Putin on Friday, Trump said that “there’ll be some swapping of territories to the betterment of both” Ukraine and Russia, without providing further details.

Their Alaska summit on 15 August would be the first between sitting US and Russian presidents since Joe Biden met Putin in Geneva in June 2021.

The Kremlin later confirmed the summit, calling the location “quite logical.”

“The presidents themselves will undoubtedly focus on discussing options for achieving a long-term peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian crisis,” Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said in a statement posted on Telegram.

Ushakov said that Trump had been invited to visit Russia.

“Looking ahead, it is natural to hope that the next meeting between the presidents will be held on Russian territory. A corresponding invitation has already been sent to the US president,” Ushakov said.

Zelensky said Ukraine was “ready for real decisions that can bring peace” but said it should be a “dignified peace,” without giving details.

At talks in Istanbul last month, Russian negotiators outlined hardline territorial demands for halting its advance — calling for Kyiv to withdraw from some territory it controls and to renounce Western military support.

Tens of thousands of people have been killed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, with millions forced to flee their homes.

Three rounds of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine this year have failed to bear fruit, and it remains unclear whether a summit would bring peace any closer.

Putin has resisted multiple calls from the US, Europe and Kyiv for a ceasefire.

He has also ruled out holding talks with Zelensky at this stage, a meeting the Ukrainian president says is necessary to make headway on a deal.