Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has criticised the upcoming US-Russia summit in Alaska, calling it a “personal victory” for Russian President Vladimir Putin and warning it risks undermining Ukraine’s position in the war. The meeting, scheduled for Friday, will be the first between a sitting US and Russian leader since 2021, with Donald Trump aiming to broker a peace deal.
Zelensky, who will not attend the talks, voiced concern that Trump’s proposal for a possible “land swap” could result in Ukraine being pressured to cede territory. He firmly rejected the idea of withdrawing Ukrainian forces from the eastern Donbas region, stressing that relinquishing the fortified positions there would leave the door open for a major Russian offensive. The Donbas, comprising the Lugansk and Donetsk regions, has been a focal point of fighting since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
The Ukrainian leader argued that the summit benefits Moscow by lifting its isolation and delaying new US sanctions that Trump had earlier promised if Russia refused to halt its war. Zelensky also revealed he had received a “signal” via US envoy Steve Witkoff suggesting Russia might be open to a ceasefire, though he did not provide details.
On the battlefield, Zelensky warned that Russian forces have advanced about 10 kilometres in some areas near the coal-mining town of Dobropillia and are planning fresh assaults along multiple points of the front. Ukrainian officials described the fighting in Donetsk as “complex” and “dynamic,” while a US-based think tank, the Institute for the Study of War, noted that the current advances were not yet an operational breakthrough.
European leaders, meanwhile, are working to ensure Kyiv’s interests are safeguarded during the Alaska talks. Russia continues to claim four annexed Ukrainian regions, even as fighting persists for control over large parts of them.
