Ukraine will not cede territory, says Zelensky in response to Trump's plan to meet with Putin.
Ukrainian President rejects proposal to cede territories to Russia in an agreement championed by Trump, who will meet with Putin in Alaska to discuss the war.
247 - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that his country "will not give its land to the occupiers" and rejected any negotiations involving the handover of territories to Russia. The statement was made following the announcement of a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, scheduled for August 15th in Alaska. (Source: [Source not provided]) BBC News.
According to Trump, the meeting will seek an agreement to end the war and may include what he called a "territory swap." The US president stated: "You're looking at territory that has been fought over for three and a half years. Many Russians have died. Many Ukrainians have died. It's very complicated. We're going to get some back, we're going to swap some. There will be some exchange of territories, for the benefit of both sides."
US proposal and resistance from Kiev
Sources cited by CBS News, a BBC partner, say the White House is trying to convince European leaders to accept a deal that would give Russia full control over the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine and maintain its annexation of Crimea. In return, Moscow would relinquish control of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia areas, currently under partial occupation.
Zelensky, however, had previously rejected any precondition involving territorial concessions and reiterated that decisions taken without Ukraine's participation are "decisions against peace." In a message posted on Telegram, he reinforced: "These are stillborn decisions. They are not viable."
Criticisms of the negotiation format
The Ukrainian president also questioned the fact that the meeting between Trump and Putin was taking place “so far from this war, which is happening on our land, against our people, and which cannot be ended without us, without Ukraine.” Even so, Zelensky stated that he is willing to work with Trump and other partners to achieve a “real peace.”
He recalled that the conflict was initiated by Russia, which is "dragging out" the war and "ignoring all deadlines," reinforcing that the responsibility for ending the war falls on Moscow.
Trump's role in the negotiations
Trump's decision to meet with Putin marks a shift in posture. Earlier in the week, the US president had issued an ultimatum demanding that the Russian leader accept a ceasefire under threat of new sanctions, but the threat was abandoned in favor of a direct approach.
Trump stated that he believes there is a "chance" of an agreement and that the exchange of territories would be for the "benefit of both" countries. Analysts point out that any cession of areas by Ukraine would be seen as a victory for Putin, but Trump is betting on the political impact of presenting himself as a mediator for a possible end to the conflict.
The meeting in Alaska has strong symbolic significance: it is American territory purchased from Russia in 1867, and will be the setting for one of the most important diplomatic talks since the beginning of the Russian invasion in 2022. The Kremlin described the choice of location as "logical," due to the geographical proximity between the two countries via the Bering Strait.
