Ukrainians will not “gift their land to the occupier,” President Volodymyr Zelensky has said following the announcement that the U.S. will host a summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.
Zelensky said in his address early Saturday morning that Kyiv would work with Trump and other allies for a peace deal as he referred to the meeting in Alaska scheduled for August 15.
But the Ukrainian president rejected the prospect of any land swap and said that Kyiv would not “reward Russia” for its aggression. Newsweek has contacted the Kremlin for comment.
Why It Matters
Trump has signaled that Ukraine might have to cede territory to end the war. He has not specified where but several outlets have reported that a proposal could include Crimea which was annexed in 2014, as well as parts of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions, which Moscow partially occupies.
Kyiv has repeatedly rejected any so-called “land swap” which would be against the Ukrainian Constitution. Zelensky’s comments on Saturday acknowledge Trump’s role in any peace deal with the summit but again reject the chances that Ukrainian land can be traded for peace.
What To Know
The Kremlin confirmed Trump’s announcement on Friday of a meeting in Alaska scheduled for August 15 between the U.S. and Russian presidents.
Trump told reporters Friday that “some swapping of territories,” would be necessary for peace, without specifying further.
But Zelensky’s address on Friday described how Ukraine’s partners must understand what “a dignified peace is” and that Russia must end the war.
He said that the Ukrainian territorial question is in the constitution and that “no one will deviate from this,” meaning that “Ukrainians will not gift their land to the occupier.”
In comments sent to Newsweek, Oleh Shamshur, nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center, said that Trump is clinging to the idea that he can talk with Putin as a partner rather than as an adversary.
Ceding large swathes of Ukrainian territory in the Donbas to Russia would “be a major victory for Russia and an awful blow for Ukraine,” he said.
Making the situation worse is that issues are being decided without Ukraine’s direct participation, he added and that any concessions would lead to further Russian aggression, Shamshur added.
Yuriy Boyechko, founder of the charity Hope for Ukraine, told Newsweek Putin will use a meeting with Trump to convince him to sign on to his demands he announced in 2024 but there is no chance for lasting peace in Europe without talks involving Kyiv and its allies.
The U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said Ukraine’s surrender of the rest of the Donetsk region for a ceasefire with no commitment to a final peace settlement would allow Russian forces to prepare to renew attacks on more favorable terms.
It would also force Ukraine to abandon its main fortified defensive line in the Donetsk region with no guarantee that fighting will not resume.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump told reporters on Friday: “There will be some swapping of territories to the betterment of both.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said: “We will not reward Russia for what it has perpetrated… The answer to the Ukrainian territorial question already is in the Constitution of Ukraine. No one will deviate from this—and no one will be able to. Ukrainians will not gift their land to the occupier.”
Oleh Shamshur, senior fellow at the Eurasia Center at the Atlantic Council told Newsweek: “Concessions to Putin would be a prelude to new Russian aggression, which will be not limited to Ukraine and may target Article 5 territory.”
Yuriy Boyechko, founder of the charity Hope for Ukraine, told Newsweek: “Both Ukraine and their European partners must be a part of these talks between Trump and Putin otherwise there is no way for lasting peace on the European continent.”
What Happens Next
CBS News reported that planning for next Friday’s meeting in Alaska was ongoing and Zelensky may still be involved in some capacity. There will be anticipation over how Trump will handle Russian demands which include Ukraine abandoning NATO aspirations.
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