Zelenskyy rejects formally ceding Ukrainian territory, says Kyiv must be
part of any negotiations
[August 09, 2025]
By SAMYA KULLAB and ELISE MORTON
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed
Saturday the planned summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and
Russian President Vladimir Putin, warning that any peace deal excluding
Kyiv would lead to “dead solutions.”
The Trump-Putin meeting, scheduled for Friday in Alaska, is seen as a
potential breakthrough.
Trump had previously agreed to meet with Putin even if the Russian
leader would not meet with Zelenskyy, stoking fears Ukraine could be
sidelined in efforts to stop the continent’s biggest conflict since
World War II.
In a statement posted to Telegram, Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s territorial
integrity, enshrined in the constitution, must be non-negotiable and
emphasized that lasting peace must include Ukraine’s voice at the table.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine “will not give Russia any awards for what it has
done” and that “Ukrainians will not give their land to the occupier.”
Touching on Ukrainian anxieties that a direct meeting between Putin and
Trump could marginalize Kyiv and European interests, Zelenskyy said:
“Any decisions that are without Ukraine are at the same time decisions
against peace. They will not bring anything. These are dead decisions.
They will never work.”
Ukrainian officials had previously told the Associated Press privately
that Kyiv would be amenable to a peace deal that would de facto
recognize Ukraine’s inability to regain lost territories militarily.
The summit
Trump said he will meet with Putin to discuss ending the war in Ukraine.
“It seems entirely logical for our delegation to fly across the Bering
Strait simply, and for such an important and anticipated summit of the
leaders of the two countries to be held in Alaska,” Putin’s foreign
affairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov, said Saturday in a statement posted to
the Kremlin's news channel.
Such a summit may prove pivotal in a war that began more than three
years ago when Russia invaded its western neighbor and has led to tens
of thousands of deaths, although there’s no guarantee it will stop the
fighting since Moscow and Kyiv remain far apart on their conditions for
peace.
In comments to reporters at the White House before his post confirming
the date and place, Trump suggested that any agreement would likely
involve “some swapping of territories,” but he gave no details.
Analysts, including some close to the Kremlin, have suggested that
Russia could offer to give up territory it controls outside of the four
regions it claims to have annexed.
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Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attends a press conference
during his visit to Vienna, Austria, June 16, 2025. (AP
Photo/Heinz-Peter Bader, File)
Trump said his meeting with Putin would come before any sit-down
discussion involving Zelenskyy. His announcement that he planned to
host one of America’s adversaries on U.S. soil broke with
expectations that they’d meet in a third country. The gesture gives
Putin validation after the U.S. and its allies had long sought to
make him a pariah over his war against Ukraine.
Ultimatums and sanctions
Exasperated that Putin did not heed his calls to stop bombing
Ukrainian cities, Trump, almost two weeks ago, moved up his
ultimatum to impose additional sanctions on Russia and introduce
secondary tariffs targeting countries that buy Russian oil if the
Kremlin did not move toward a settlement.
The deadline was Friday. But the White House did not answer
questions that evening about the state of possible sanctions after
Trump announced an upcoming meeting with Putin.
Prior to Trump announcing the meeting with Putin, his efforts to
pressure Russia into stopping the fighting had delivered no
progress. The Kremlin’s bigger army is slowly advancing deeper into
Ukraine at great cost in troops and armor while it relentlessly
bombards Ukrainian cities. Russia and Ukraine are far apart on their
terms for peace.
Russia and Ukraine trade attacks
Two people died and 16 were wounded Saturday when a Russian drone
hit a minibus in the suburbs of the Ukrainian city of Kherson,
regional Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin said. Two others died after a
Russian drone struck their car in the Zaporizhzhia region, according
to regional Gov. Ivan Fedorov.
Ukraine’s air force said Saturday it intercepted 16 of the 47
Russian drones launched overnight, while 31 drones hit targets
across 15 different locations. It also said it shot down one of the
two missiles Russia deployed.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Defense Ministry said its air defenses shot down
21 Ukrainian drones over Russia and the Black Sea overnight into
Saturday.
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Morton reported from London.
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