Kyiv, Aug 9 — With a major US-Russia summit just days away, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has sent a clear and emotional message to the world: peace cannot be decided without Ukraine’s voice — and certainly not at the cost of its land.
“Ukrainians will not give their land to the occupier,” Zelensky declared on social media, just as US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin prepare to meet in Alaska on August 15 to discuss peace in Ukraine.
Zelensky stressed that any deal made “against us” or “without Ukraine” would be a step against peace, not towards it. “They will achieve nothing,” he warned, underlining that the war can only end “with us, with Ukraine” at the table.
The Ukrainian leader said his country is ready for “real decisions that can bring peace” — but insisted it must be a dignified peace. While he did not detail what that would look like, his message was clear: Ukraine’s sovereignty is not up for negotiation.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022, tens of thousands have been killed and millions displaced. Three rounds of negotiations this year alone have failed to break the deadlock.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has so far refused calls from Kyiv, the United States, and European leaders for a ceasefire. He has also ruled out direct talks with Zelensky — a meeting the Ukrainian president insists is necessary to make real progress.
Announcing the Alaska summit, Trump hinted at “some swapping of territories to the betterment of both” Russia and Ukraine, but offered no further explanation — a statement likely to spark unease in Kyiv.
This will be the first in-person meeting between sitting US and Russian presidents since Joe Biden met Putin in Geneva in June 2021. Trump and Putin last sat down together at the G20 summit in Japan in 2019 during Trump’s first term, although they have spoken by phone several times this year.
