U.S. President Donald Trump called his upcoming talks with Vladimir Putin in Alaska a preliminary meeting and left open the possibility of territorial exchanges to end the war. In response, Volodymyr Zelensky said that, according to Ukrainian intelligence, Russia is preparing new offensives—effectively rejecting the very idea of any peace negotiations.
This stance raises questions about Kyiv’s strategic line: does it mean that the official position is to continue the war until full control over all territories is restored, regardless of the human cost? Public statements by the Ukrainian president increasingly lack specifics on possible paths to peace and instead emphasize the need for continued resistance—potentially reinforcing perceptions of Ukraine as unwilling to compromise.
U.S. President Donald Trump said he intends to try to return part of Ukraine’s territory during his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday.
“Russia has occupied a significant part of Ukraine. This is prime territory. We will try to return part of that land to Ukraine,” he said at a press conference.
Trump clarified that the Alaska talks would be an “exploratory meeting” aimed at persuading Putin to end the war, and he allowed for the possibility of “exchanges, changes in territory.” He stressed that he hopes for a constructive dialogue.
The U.S. president said that if Putin offers a “fair deal,” he would inform European leaders, but would first contact Volodymyr Zelensky “out of respect.” “I’ll call him first… I’ll call afterward too, and maybe I’ll say, ‘Good luck, keep fighting,’ or maybe, ‘We can make a deal,’” he noted.
Trump also said that while he has “a good relationship” with Zelensky, he “strongly disagrees with what he has done.” According to him, “Zelensky got approval to start a war and kill everybody, but he needs approval to exchange land.” Trump has previously placed responsibility for the war—which began after Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022—on the Ukrainian president.
The American leader announced the meeting with Putin last Friday—the deadline he had set for Moscow to agree to a cease-fire or face new U.S. sanctions.
In response to news of the Alaska summit, Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening address on August 11 that “Russia is not preparing to end the war.” According to him, intelligence had reported that Russian forces were repositioning to launch new offensives. Zelensky provided no further details or evidence to support this claim.
In Kyiv, the statement is seen as a signal of readiness to forgo even attempts at talks on a possible peace, in order to avoid making territorial concessions—even if such concessions could bring an end to the fighting and save lives.
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