Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky reacted on Saturday to the possibility of a meeting between United States President Donald Trump and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to discuss the war in Ukraine without Kiev’s participation. Zelensky stated that decisions made in these circumstances “are born dead.”
“Any negotiation that does not involve Ukraine is a decision against us and against peace,” he said, emphasizing that the country’s territorial integrity is protected by the Constitution and that there is no margin for territory concessions as part of an agreement.
Trump announced on Friday (8) that he will meet with Putin on the 15th, in Alaska. Russian presidential advisor Yury Ushakov confirmed the meeting, noting that the location is “logic” for bringing the two countries closer to the Bering Strait.
It will be the first meeting between Trump and Putin since the return of the Republican to the White House in January, and the first Russian leader visit to the US since 2015. The meeting should address a proposal for ceasefire in Ukraine, including the situation of the territories occupied by Russia, whose annexation is rejected by Kiev.
The Ukrainian leader also rejected the suggestion that Kiev could give in areas occupied by Russia in exchange for ceasefire, a hypothesis ventilated by Trump’s allies. “This is not a peace negotiation, it is capitulation. And Ukraine will not capitulate,” he said.
Criticism occurs amid diplomatic movements that include an approximation between Trump and Putin, outlined since the Republican’s electoral victory, but has been shaken over the months. According to Zelensky, any parallel negotiation attempt only strengthens the Russian position and weakens the international effort to restore Ukrainian sovereignty.
