Trump Will Discuss Ukraine With European Leaders Ahead of Putin Meeting – The New York Times
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
European leaders to speak with Trump ahead of his Friday summit with Putin
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in Berlin for talks with European and U.S. leaders. He is due to meet with European leaders first, in preparation for a virtual call with Trump and Vice President JD Vance about an hour later. A call between leaders of countries involved in the “coalition of the willing” — those who are prepared to help police any future peace agreement between Moscow and Kyiv — will take place last. Trump has said he wants to see whether Putin is serious about ending the war, now in its fourth year, describing Friday’s summit as “a feel-out meeting” where he can assess the Russian leader’s intentions. The Europeans and Ukraine are wary that Putin, who has waged the biggest land war in Europe since 1945, might secure favorable concessions and set the outlines of a peace deal without them. The stakes are high for Europe, which is worried that Putin will set his sights on one of them next if he wins in Ukraine.
Merz has convened a series of virtual meetings for Wednesday in an attempt to have the voice of European and Ukraine’s leaders heard ahead of the summit in Alaska, where President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are expected to discuss a path toward ending Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
Zelenskyy and the leaders of European countries have all been sidelined from that summit.
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Zelenskyy is due to meet with European leaders first, in preparation for a virtual call with Trump and Vice President JD Vance about an hour later. A call between leaders of countries involved in the “coalition of the willing” — those who are prepared to help police any future peace agreement between Moscow and Kyiv — will take place last.
When Zelenskyy last visited Berlin in late May, Merz pledged to help Ukraine develop its own long-range missile systems that would be free of any Western-imposed limitations on their use and targets.
The Ukrainian leader on Wednesday said his government has had over 30 conversations with partners ahead of the summit in Alaska, but reiterated his doubt that Putin would negotiate in good faith.
Writing on his official Telegram channel, Zelenskyy said there was “currently no sign that the Russians are preparing to end the war,” and urged Ukraine’s partners in the United States and Europe to coordinate efforts and “force Russia to peace.”
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“Pressure must be applied on Russia for an honest peace. We must take the experience of Ukraine and our partners to prevent deception by Russia,” Zelenskyy said.
The stakes for Europe
Trump has said he wants to see whether Putin is serious about ending the war, now in its fourth year, describing Friday’s summit as “a feel-out meeting” where he can assess the Russian leader’s intentions.
Yet Trump has disappointed allies in Europe by saying Ukraine will have to give up some Russian-held territory. He has also said Russia must accept land swaps, although it was unclear what Putin might be expected to surrender.
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European allies have pushed for Ukraine’s involvement in any peace talks, fearful that discussions that exclude Kyiv could otherwise favor Moscow.
Trump on Monday ducked repeated chances to say that he would push for Zelenskyy to take part in his discussions with Putin, and was dismissive of Zelenskyy and his need to be part of an effort to seek peace. Trump said that following Friday’s summit, a meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian leaders could be arranged, or that it could also be a meeting with “Putin and Zelenskyy and me.”
The Europeans and Ukraine are wary that Putin, who has waged the biggest land war in Europe since 1945 and used Russia’s energy might to try to intimidate the European Union, might secure favorable concessions and set the outlines of a peace deal without them.
The overarching fear of many European countries is that Putin will set his sights on one of them next if he wins in Ukraine.
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Land concessions a non-starter for Kyiv
Zelenskyy said Tuesday that Putin wants Ukraine to withdraw from the remaining 30% of the Donetsk region that it still controls as part of a ceasefire deal, a proposal the leader categorically rejected.
Zelenskyy reiterated that Ukraine would not give up any territory it controls, saying that would be unconstitutional and would serve only as a springboard for a future Russian invasion.
He said diplomatic discussions led by the U.S. focusing on ending the war have not addressed key Ukrainian demands, including security guarantees to prevent future Russian aggression and including Europe in negotiations.
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Three weeks after Trump returned to office, his administration took the leverage of Ukraine’s NATO membership off the table — something that Putin has demanded — and signaled that the EU and Ukraine must handle security in Europe now while America focuses its attention elsewhere.
Senior EU officials believe that Trump may be satisfied with simply securing a ceasefire in Ukraine, and is probably more interested in broader U.S. geostrategic interests and great power politics, aiming to ramp up business with Russia and rehabilitate Putin.
Russian advances in Donbas
Russian forces on the ground in Ukraine have been closing in on a key territorial grab around the city of Pokrovsk, in the eastern Donbas region which is part of Ukraine’s eastern industrial heartland that Putin has long coveted.
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Military analysts using open-source information to monitor the battles have said Ukraine’s ability to fend off those advances could be critical: Losing Pokrovsk would hand Russia an important victory ahead of the summit and could complicate Ukrainian supply lines to the Donetsk region, where the Kremlin has focused the bulk of military efforts.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces struck an oil pumping station in Russia’s Bryansk region overnight on Wednesday, according to a statement from Ukraine’s General Staff.
Ukrainian drones struck the Unecha station which supplies the Russian army, the statement said, adding that damage and a large fire was reported in the area around the pumping station.
Unecha transports oil to two pipelines with an annual capacity to pump 60 million tons. The operation was carried out by units of the Unmanned Systems Forces of Ukraine’s army and the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Defense Ministry, the statement said.
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Cook reported from Brussels. Associated Press writer Samya Kullab in Kyiv, Ukraine contributed.
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Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
European leaders to talk with US leaders ahead of Trump-Putin summit
European leaders plan to hold a video conference on Wednesday with US President Donald Trump and US Vice President JD Vance. The online meeting, on German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s initiative and including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, comes as leaders in Europe seek a united front regarding Russia’s war in Ukraine. Trump’s meeting on Friday with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The online meeting, on German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s initiative and including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, comes as leaders in Europe seek a united front regarding Russia’s war in Ukraine ahead of the Trump-Putin summit scheduled to take place in Alaska.
Before speaking with Trump, the Europeans intend to hold a separate meeting with the European Commission, NATO and Zelensky to coordinate their positions. Following the talks with Trump and Vance, Europe’s leaders plan to reconvene to review the discussion.
Europeans fear being sidelined
The Europeans are concerned that during their meeting on Friday Trump and Putin could finalize territorial concessions that Ukraine must make to Russia – concessions Kiev has rejected.
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Trump has framed the planned meeting as an attempt to move closer to ending the conflict, which has lasted for approximately three and a half years.
The US president has mentioned the possibility of a territorial exchange between Ukraine and Russia even though Ukraine has consistently and firmly opposed any territorial concessions.
The German government said the talks with the US leaders would focus on how to increase pressure on Moscow, preparations for potential peace negotiations and related issues concerning territorial claims and security.
Apart from Trump, Vance, Merz and Zelensky, leaders from France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Poland and Finland, as well as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President António Costa and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte are expected to attend the meeting.
Ukraine, sidelined in Trump-Putin summit, fights Russian grab for more territory
Putin and Trump will meet on Friday at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage, Alaska. European leaders fear peace terms could end in peace terms imposed on an unlawfully shrunken Ukraine. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and his EU allies fear that he will face pressure to give up far more than Russia does. Trump has said any peace deal would involve “some swapping of territories to the betterment of both” Russia and Ukraine, which has depended on the U.S. as its main arms supplier.”Substantive and productive talks about us without us will not work,” Zelenkiy said. “This breakthrough is like a gift to Putin and Trump during the negotiations,” a former Kremlin adviser said of the peace talks in Alaska. “I hope we can convince President Trump about the European position,” EU’s Orban said at a meeting of Russia’s principal ally in Europe, theHungarian prime minister. “We are ready to contribute to peace on the continent, and that peace security are to be contributed to,” he said.
MOSCOW/BRUSSELS/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Small bands of Russian soldiers thrust deeper into eastern Ukraine on Tuesday before a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump, which European leaders fear could end in peace terms imposed on an unlawfully shrunken Ukraine.
In one of the most extensive incursions so far this year, Russian troops advanced near the coal-mining town of Dobropillia, part of Putin’s campaign to take full control of Ukraine’s Donetsk region. Ukraine’s military dispatched reserve troops, saying they were in difficult combat against Russian soldiers.
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Trump has said any peace deal would involve “some swapping of territories to the betterment of both” Russia and Ukraine, which has depended on the U.S. as its main arms supplier.
But because all the areas being contested lie within Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and his European Union allies fear that he will face pressure to give up far more than Russia does.
In the first U.S.-Russia summit since 2021, Putin and Trump will meet on Friday at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage, Alaska, two White House officials said.
Trump’s administration on Tuesday tempered expectations for major progress toward a ceasefire, calling the summit a “listening exercise.”
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Along that line, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the president wanted to size up Putin directly.
“The president feels like, look, I’ve got to look at this guy across the table. I need to see him face to face. I need to hear him one on one. I need to make an assessment by looking at him,” Rubio told WABC radio in New York on Tuesday.
Zelenskiy and most of his European counterparts have said a lasting peace cannot be secured without Ukraine at the negotiating table, and a deal must comply with international law, Ukraine’s sovereignty and its territorial integrity.
They will hold a virtual meeting with Trump on Wednesday to underscore those concerns before the Putin summit.
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“Substantive and productive talks about us without us will not work,” Zelenskiy said in an interview on Tuesday with NewsNation. “Just as I cannot say anything about another state or make decisions for it.”
Zelenskiy has said Russia must agree to a ceasefire before territorial issues are discussed. He would reject any Russian proposal that Ukraine pull its troops from the eastern Donbas region and cede its defensive lines.
Asked why Zelenskiy was not joining the U.S. and Russian leaders at the Alaska summit, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told reporters the bilateral meeting had been proposed by Putin, and Trump accepted to get a “better understanding” of “how we can hopefully bring this war to an end.”
Trump is open to a trilateral meeting with Putin and Zelenskiy later, Leavitt said.
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RUSSIA ADVANCES IN EASTERN UKRAINE
Sergei Markov, a former Kremlin adviser, suggested Russian advances could increase pressure on Ukraine to yield territory under any deal. “This breakthrough is like a gift to Putin and Trump during the negotiations,” he said.
Despite a troop shortage, Ukraine’s military said it had retaken two villages in the eastern region of Sumy on Monday, part of a small reversal in more than a year of slow, attritional Russian gains in the southeast.
Russia, which launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, has mounted a new offensive this year in Sumy after Putin demanded a “buffer zone” there.
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Ukraine and its European allies fear that Trump, keen to claim credit for making peace and seal new business deals with Russia’s government, will end up rewarding Putin for 11 years of efforts to seize Ukrainian territory, the last three in open warfare.
European leaders have said Ukraine must be capable of defending itself if peace and security are to be guaranteed on the continent, and that they are ready to contribute further.
“Ukraine cannot lose this war and nobody has the right to pressure Ukraine into making territorial or other concessions, or making decisions that smack of capitulation,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said at a government meeting. “I hope we can convince President Trump about the European position.”
Zelenskiy has said he and European leaders “all support President Trump’s determination.”
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Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Putin’s principal ally in Europe, was the only leader not to join the EU’s statement of unity. He mocked his counterparts as “sidelined” and said Russia had already defeated Ukraine.
“The Ukrainians have lost the war. Russia has won this war,” Orban told the “Patriot” YouTube channel in an interview.
Trump had been recently hardening his stance towards Russia, agreeing to send more U.S. weapons to Ukraine and threatening hefty trade tariffs on buyers of Russian oil in an ultimatum that has now lapsed.
(Reporting by Lili Bayer in Brussels and Andrew Osborn in Moscow; Additional reporting by Alan Charlish, Sudip Kar-Gupta, Lidia Kelly, Krisztina Than, Pavel Polityuk and Jasper Ward; writing by Ingrid Melander, Jonathan Allen and James Oliphant; editing by Kevin Liffey, Mark Heinrich, Alexandra Hudson and Cynthia Osterman)
Putin and Trump to meet in Alaska: What we know so far and why Zelenskyy won’t be there
US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin will meet in Alaska this Friday, August 15. The meeting will take place at the Elmendorf-Richardson military base in Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city. The location was chosen for security reasons and because of the ICC arrest warrant for Putin. The main topic is the war in Ukraine, the possibility of a ceasefire, and territorial issues. Trump plans online talks with Zelenskyy and European leaders before and after meeting with Putin. He will fly to Alaska on Friday morning, US Eastern Time, and, after more than a seven-hour flight, land in Anchorage. He described the upcoming meeting as “a listening exercise for the party that is involved in this war’ Only one of the parties involved is going to be present in this exercise,’ US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, saying that the American president wants the meeting to go so far as to assess the situation and get a better understanding of how we can end the war.
US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin will meet in the American state of Alaska this Friday, August 15. The summit will concern the war in Ukraine, but will take place without the direct participation of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Key points as of now:
The meeting will take place at the Elmendorf-Richardson military base in Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city.
The location was chosen for security reasons and because of the ICC arrest warrant for Putin.
The summit was proposed to Trump by the Russian president.
The main topic is the war in Ukraine, the possibility of a ceasefire, and territorial issues.
Kyiv categorically rejects territorial concessions.
Trump plans online talks with Zelenskyy and European leaders before and after meeting with Putin.
Europe fears agreements that could harm Ukraine and the continent’s security.
Where and when will Trump and Putin meet?
The meeting between the leaders is scheduled for this Friday, August 15. Both the Trump administration and the Kremlin have decided to choose Alaska as the venue for the summit.
Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city, will host the meeting. According to CNN, citing sources, Trump and Putin will meet in the city at the American military base Elmendorf-Richardson, which is said to meet security requirements.
According to people familiar with the summit preparations, there were few places suitable for such a meeting, especially given the arrest warrant for Putin for war crimes in Ukraine issued by the International Criminal Court in 2023 (accordingly, he is not threatened with arrest on US territory).
Given this fact, Russia opposed holding the meeting in Europe, even in cities such as Vienna or Geneva, where US and Russian leaders have met since the Cold War.
Although Putin himself called the United Arab Emirates “quite suitable” as a venue, the White House opposed this, as it would be a long trip for Trump, who had already visited the UAE only in May.
In the end, according to sources, only Hungary and the US remained as options. Putin’s yes to travel to Alaska surprised and pleased American officials, CNN writes.
The time of the meeting has not yet been announced. It is only known that Trump will fly to Alaska on Friday morning, US Eastern Time, and, after more than a seven-hour flight, land in Anchorage.
In terms of logistics, despite its remote location, Alaska is close to Russia, giving the Russian delegation a shorter flight than to the continental United States. For the American delegation, the trip also does not require much time.
Among other things, the choice of meeting place has symbolic significance: Alaska is a former Russian territory sold to the United States in the 19th century.
Meanwhile, The New York Times, citing its sources, reported that the US Secret Service has already rented property in Anchorage to prepare for the event.
Will there be a territorial exchange? What Trump and Putin will discuss
Ahead of the Trump-Putin meeting, consultations were held between senior representatives of the US and Russia. Last week, American special envoy Steve Witkoff visited Moscow, where the Russian leader conveyed his proposal for a meeting with the US president.
In fact, this allowed Putin to avoid harsh US sanctions by offering a meeting with Trump. Earlier, the White House chief had issued an ultimatum to Russia that it must reach a peace agreement by August 8, otherwise secondary tariffs would be imposed. Instead of implementing them, Trump agreed to hold talks in Alaska on August 15.
Photo: Trump’s plane will take off for Alaska on Friday morning (Getty Images)
The main topic is the war in Ukraine. Trump has repeatedly expressed the idea of ending the conflict through a compromise, including the possibility of territorial exchanges.
Such statements have been strongly rejected by Kyiv, which emphasizes that any agreements without Ukraine’s participation and full restoration of its territorial integrity are unacceptable.
The discussion is expected to include the prospect for a ceasefire in Ukraine and parameters of a potential peace agreement, although the White House does not expect quick progress. They described the upcoming meeting as “a listening exercise” for the US president.
“Only one party that’s involved in this war is going to be present. And so this is for the president to go and to get, again, a more firm and better understanding of how we can hopefully bring this war to an end…I think this is a listening exercise for the president,” said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio rejected the idea that Trump was making concessions to Putin with this meeting, saying that the American president wants the meeting to assess the situation, since phone calls with Putin have yielded no results.
Ukraine says no to territorial concessions
In response to Western media reports that Putin had presented the Trump administration with a plan for a ceasefire in exchange for territorial concessions from Kyiv, Zelenskyy and Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry stressed that the answer to Ukraine’s territorial question is already in the Constitution of Ukraine, and no one will step back from it or be able to.
According to one version, the Russian president wants Ukraine to transfer to Russia all of its eastern Donbas and Crimea. In return, it would supposedly halt their offensive in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions.
Trump, in turn, was dissatisfied with Ukraine’s argument that constitutional changes would be required for territorial exchanges in a potential peace deal.
According to him, a potential deal would mean “something bad for both sides.” He directly stated that there would be territorial concessions from both sides.
“It’s very complicated, but we’re going to get some back. There’ll be some swapping of territories to the betterment of both,” Trump later said.
President Zelenskyy, who was not invited to the Alaska talks, said on the eve of the meeting that Russia was preparing for an offensive in three directions in Ukraine — Zaporizhzhia, Pokrovsk, and Novopavlivka.
He noted that Moscow wants to create a certain informational backdrop by August 15, especially in the American media, that Russia is advancing and Ukraine is losing territory.
Zelenskyy rejected the possibility of a complete withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Donbas, believing that if Ukraine did so, Russia would attack the Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, and Kharkiv regions within a few years. Any territorial issue cannot be separated from security guarantees, the president stressed.
Zelenskyy will not attend the summit, but Trump will talk to European leaders
The White House announced that Putin and Trump would meet in a one-on-one format. According to Leavitt, during the talks, the US president wants to focus on the war between Russia and Ukraine, although he is also interested in bilateral relations, including the restoration of air travel between the US and Russia.
The White House press secretary also suggested that the fate of Ukrainian children abducted by Russians will not be among the main topics, as Trump wants this issue to be resolved in direct negotiations between Putin and the president of Ukraine.
Photo: Trump will have a phone call with Zelenskyy before and after his meeting with Putin (Getty Images)
According to Zelenskyy, he was told that since his meeting with Trump had already taken place, it logically follows that there should be a meeting between Putin and Trump, and then there should be a trilateral meeting — the US, Ukraine, and Russia.
Although the Ukrainian leader will not take part in the Alaska summit, Trump is to hold an online meeting with him and European leaders before and after the talks with Putin.
Zelenskyy, together with Chancellor Friedrich Merz, is expected to join the video call from Berlin. Along with European leaders, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte will also join the talks. The talk is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. Kyiv time.
After that, Trump and Vice President JD Vance will speak with European leaders in a separate online meeting at 4:00 p.m. Kyiv time.
Then, at 5:30 p.m. Kyiv time, there will be an online meeting of the Coalition of the Willing – a group of countries working on plans to support Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire.
The US president also promised to call Zelenskyy and European leaders immediately after the meeting with Putin in Alaska.
Meanwhile, Europe is wary of the Trump-Putin meeting. About half a dozen senior European officials told Reuters they see a risk of a deal that would be unfavorable for Europe and Ukraine’s security.
They said that European unity would be vital if this happens. A source familiar with internal US discussions said it cannot be ruled out that Trump may seek to strike a deal directly with Putin without the participation of Ukraine or Europe.
A senior Eastern European official told the media that relevant work is currently underway with American partners to prevent this.
The summit between the leaders of Russia and the US will be the first since 2021, when Putin met with then-US President Joe Biden in Geneva, Switzerland.
As White House chief, Trump last held personal talks with Putin in 2018 in Helsinki, Finland, and in 2019 they met at the G20 summit in Japan, but in a delegation format.
Since the beginning of his second term in early 2025, Trump has spoken with Putin by phone at least six times.
RBC-Ukraine also wrote about expectations from the meeting in the analytical article Alaska summit raises alarm over possible US concessions to Russia. What’s at stake for Ukraine.
Details about Witkoff’s trip to Moscow, Trump’s plan, and what’s going on in Moscow — from RBC-Ukraine’s sources.
Sources: Reuters, Bloomberg, The New York Times, CNN.
Starmer set to speak to Trump alongside European leaders ahead of Putin meeting
Sir Keir Starmer will join a call with European leaders and Donald Trump on Wednesday, ahead of the US president’s meeting with Vladimir Putin in Alaska. The Prime Minister warned on Monday that peace “must be built with Ukraine, not imposed upon it’ The two leaders are set to meet this Friday to discuss the future of the Kremlin’s invasion, without the presence of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Mr Trump said he would speak to the Ukrainian president following the summit and suggested he could meet Mr Putin at a later date. He has also signalled he thinks Ukraine might need to cede territory in order to end the conflict, stating there is likely to be “some land-swapping going on” No 10 had earlier backed Mr Trump’S interventions over the war but warned that Mr Putin cannot be trusted “as far as you can throw him”. No 10 said the UK supported both Kyiv and the U.S.’ push for peace, but not Moscow.
The Prime Minister warned on Monday that peace “must be built with Ukraine, not imposed upon it”, amid concerns of Kyiv’s exclusion from talks between Mr Trump and his Russian counterpart.
The two leaders are set to meet this Friday to discuss the future of the Kremlin’s invasion, without the presence of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Mr Trump has confirmed.
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The US president has also signalled he thinks Ukraine might need to cede territory in order to end the conflict, stating there is likely to be “some land-swapping going on”.
Speaking during a lengthy press conference, Mr Trump pledged to “try to get back” some of Ukraine’s “oceanfront property” from Russia.
He said: “We’re going to change the lines, the battle lines. Russia has occupied a big portion of Ukraine. They’ve occupied some very prime territory. We’re going to try and get some of that territory back for Ukraine.
“They have taken largely – in real estate we call it oceanfront property. That’s always the most valuable property.”
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Mr Trump said he would speak to the Ukrainian president following the summit and suggested he could meet Mr Putin at a later date.
The call on Wednesday, organised by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, will include Mr Zelensky.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (Suzanne Plunkett/PA)
In a joint statement earlier this week, the leaders of Britain, France, Italy, Germany, Poland, Finland and the European Commission said: “Ukraine has the freedom of choice over its own destiny.
“Meaningful negotiations can only take place in the context of a ceasefire or reduction of hostilities.
“The path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine.
“We remain committed to the principle that international borders must not be changed by force.”
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The Prime Minister and Canada’s Mark Carney had also agreed Ukraine’s future “must be one of freedom, sovereignty and self-determination” during a phone call on Monday.
A Downing Street spokesperson said: “They discussed their unwavering support for Ukraine and ongoing work to stop the killing, and end Russia’s war of aggression.
“Both leaders underscored that Ukraine’s future must be one of freedom, sovereignty and self-determination.
“They welcomed continued international efforts, led by President Trump, to bring peace and agreed that this must be built with Ukraine, not imposed upon it.
“Both leaders agreed they would continue to work closely with President Trump and President Zelensky over the coming days. They agreed to stay in touch.”
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No 10 had earlier backed Mr Trump’s interventions over the war but warned that Mr Putin cannot be trusted “as far as you can throw him”.
Asked whether Sir Keir believes the Russian president could be trusted in negotiations, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said the UK supported both Kyiv and the US president’s push for peace, but not Moscow.
“Never trust President Putin as far as you could throw him, but we obviously will support Ukraine,” he said.
“We will obviously support President Trump and European nations as we enter these negotiations.
“But it is exactly why we’ve been leading this work on the coalition of the willing, because any ceasefire, as I say, cannot just be an opportunity for President Putin to go away, re-arm, restrengthen, and then go again.
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“So we’re not going to leave it to trust. We’re going to ensure that we’re prepared such that we achieve a ceasefire.”
US President Donald Trump is set to stage talks with Mr Putin (Jane Barlow/PA)
The US president has suggested that any peace deal was likely to involve “some swapping of territories”, with reports suggesting this could involve Ukraine giving up its Donetsk region.
But Mr Zelensky has already rejected any proposal that would compromise Ukraine’s territorial integrity, something that is forbidden by Ukraine’s constitution.
He said Mr Putin wanted to “exchange a pause in the war, in the killing, for the legalisation of the occupation of our land – he wants to get territorial spoils for the second time”.
Mr Zelensky added: “We will not allow this second attempt to partition Ukraine.
“Knowing Russia, where there is a second, there will be a third.”