By Eric Vandenbroeck and co-workers

Ukraine Not To Give Up Land...

The US-Russia meeting is due to take place in Alaska on 15 August.

Hours before announcing the meeting, Trump had signaled Ukraine might have to cede territory to end the war, which began with Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Zelensky said in a Telegram post on Saturday that "Ukrainians will not give their land to the occupier". He reiterated that Ukraine must be involved in any solution for peace, and said he is ready to work with partners for a "real" and "lasting" peace.

US officials have briefed European leaders and Ukrainian officials on a plan offered by Putin to halt the war in Ukraine in exchange for significant territorial concessions by Kyiv, according to Western officials briefed on the matter.

The plan, which Putin presented to Trump’s foreign envoy Steve Witkoff in a meeting in Moscow on Wednesday, would require Ukraine to cede the eastern Donbas region, the majority of which is currently occupied by Russia, as well as Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014.

The plan would freeze current battle lines, but other details of the proposal were still unclear.

It alarmed some European officials, who voiced concern it was Putin’s attempt to avoid Trump’s threatened sanctions, which were supposed to come due Friday, while offering little in return.

But the plan appeared to be the impetus for which Trump put in motion plans for a summit meeting with Putin as soon as next week.

Additional calls with the Europeans have occurred over the past two days, including with Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Witkoff spoke with several European officials on Friday to lay out additional details of the plan.

It wasn’t clear what the plan would mean for two other regions in Ukraine, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, where Russia controls some territory, beyond Russia stopping its offensive there.

Nor was it clear how Putin’s proposal would address the Russian leader’s other demands for ending the war, including a pledge that Ukraine would never join NATO or that it would limit the size of its military.

Zelensky said Ukraine "will not give Russia awards for what it has done".

"The answer to the Ukrainian territorial issue is already in the Constitution of Ukraine. No one will and cannot deviate from this," he added.

His statement followed comments from Trump at the White House on Friday that there "will be some swapping of territories, to the betterment of both".

"You're looking at territory that's been fought over for three and a half years, and a lot of Russians have died. A lot of Ukrainians have died," the US president said.

He did not provide further details on what any such proposal would look like.

Sacrificing land for peace has been the Trump position all along. Zelensky has always made clear that it is unacceptable under Ukraine's constitution and would only reward Russia for starting the war.

While Ukraine's president has been careful not to criticize Trump, his post on social media makes clear that he will not accept it.

Trump announced his meeting with Putin - which was later confirmed by the Kremlin - on Friday, saying details would follow.

Zelensky on Saturday said that Ukraine is ready for "real solutions that can bring peace," but underlined that Ukraine needed to be involved.

"Any solutions that are against us, any solutions that are without Ukraine, are simultaneously solutions against peace," he said.

"We are ready, together with President Trump, together with all partners, to work for a real, and most importantly, lasting peace, a peace that will not collapse because of Moscow's wishes."

This is what Ukraine, and many European allies, were always worried about: Trump and Putin trying to do a deal without Ukraine present.

Trump's words on Russia may have hardened in recent months, but for Ukraine, they have yet to be followed by tangible actions.

The US president's deadline for Russia to agree to a ceasefire or face more sanctions has passed without any apparent consequences. Now, reports suggest Trump is still willing to discuss Ukraine giving up some of its territory in return for a ceasefire when he meets Putin in Alaska next week.

On the ground, there is a resignation that any initial peace talks may not include Ukraine.

Among soldiers and civilians, there is a strong desire for peace. There is exhaustion from the constant fighting and Russian drone and missile attacks.

But there is little evidence that Ukraine is willing to accept a peace at any price, much less one that will be forced on it without its voice being heard.

Amid preparations for talks, Russia and Ukraine continued to trade air attacks overnight.

Through 8am Moscow time (1pm Singapore time), Russia shot down a total of 118 Ukrainian drones over its territory, according to the nation’s Defence Ministry.

Two drones targeting Moscow were downed in the morning, the Russian capital’s mayor said in Telegram posts.

Ukraine’s air forces on Telegram reported 47 drones and two Iskander missiles, a short-range tactical missile system – fired by Russia overnight.

According to preliminary data, as at 9am local time, air defenses had repelled one Iskander missile and 16 drones.

 

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