WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump announced on Friday he will meet with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Aug 15 to broker a deal to end the war in Ukraine.
Details of the potential deal have yet to be announced, but Trump said it would involve “some swapping of territories to the betterment of both”.
It could require Ukraine to surrender significant parts of its territory — an outcome Kyiv and its European allies say would only encourage Russian aggression.
However, the proposal was immediately rejected by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who said his country would not cede any territory.
Zelensky rejects idea of ceding any Ukrainian territory to Russia
“Ukrainians will not gift their land to the occupier,” Mr Zelensky said in a video address, adding that Ukraine’s borders were fixed in the country’s constitution. “No one will deviate from this and no one will be able to.”
Mr Zelensky’s refusal came as Washington and Moscow prepared for the high-stakes talks, which Trump said could resolve the three-and-a-half-year conflict. The last time Alaska hosted a major diplomatic event was in March 2021, when senior officials from the Biden administration met top Chinese officials in Anchorage.
US, EU, Ukrainian officials to meet
British Foreign Minister David Lammy and US Vice President JD Vance will meet Ukrainian and European allies in Britain on Saturday to discuss President Donald Trump’s push for peace in Ukraine, a spokesperson for Downing Street said.
“The prime minister spoke to President Zelensky of Ukraine this morning. They looked ahead to the meeting of National Security Advisers from Europe, Ukraine and the United States taking place today, hosted by the UK foreign secretary and US vice president”.
Zelensky has made a flurry of calls with allies since Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, visited Moscow on Wednesday.
“Clear steps are needed, as well as maximum coordination between us and our partners,” Mr Zelensky said in a post on X, after his call with Starmer.
Published in Dawn, August 10th, 2025
