Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday that Ukraine will not agree to any peace agreement requiring it to give up territory, setting up a major challenge for President Donald Trump’s upcoming peace summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.
Trump announced Friday he would meet with Putin on U.S. soil August 15 to push for a deal to end the war. Earlier in the day, Trump had suggested a possible “swapping” of territories between Russia and Ukraine — a proposal Zelensky flatly rejected in a video address.
Zelensky’s Hard Line
“Any decisions that are against us, any decisions that are without Ukraine, are at the same time decisions against peace,” Zelensky said. “They will not achieve anything… We all need real and genuine peace — peace that people will respect.”
The Ukrainian leader said his country would accept only a “dignified peace,” which means keeping all current territory. “Ukrainians will not gift their land to the occupier,” he declared.
Zelensky also downplayed the Alaska talks, calling them “very far away from this war” and saying the conflict “can’t be ended without us, without Ukraine.”
Backing from European Leaders
Zelensky highlighted calls with leaders from Denmark, the United Kingdom, France, and Estonia, thanking them for their support. He told Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen that Russia still refuses to halt its attacks and is pushing for territory exchanges that would only give Moscow stronger positions if fighting resumed.
“All our steps must bring us closer to a real end to the war, not its reconfiguration,” Zelensky said.
Russia’s Proposal and Historic Comparisons
Reports indicate Russia offered to stop fighting if Ukraine withdrew from Donetsk Oblast, followed by a lasting peace agreement. Analysts and Ukrainian officials called the offer a nonstarter, noting Donetsk contains Ukraine’s most fortified positions.
Some Kyiv supporters compared the proposal to the 1938 Munich Conference, when Western powers ceded territory to Nazi Germany in exchange for promises that were later broken. A U.S. official described Putin as “like Hitler who received some lands and wanted more.”
Stakes for the Alaska Summit
The Trump-Putin meeting will be Putin’s first visit to the U.S. since 2015 and their first in-person meeting since 2019. Trump has sought to act as a mediator since returning to the White House, reopening direct dialogue with Moscow while also committing to increased military aid for Kyiv.
The Alaska summit location was chosen after Russia rejected earlier U.S. suggestions for talks in Europe. The meeting comes after months of strained relations and continued Russian missile and drone strikes on Ukrainian cities.
Despite Ukraine’s defense efforts, Russia has gained ground in recent months, maintaining control over Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia, and showing no sign of relinquishing territory.
