Russia-Ukraine war: Trump hints at territory swap; Zelenskyy rejects it outright

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday (August 9) dismissed the planned summit between US 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 (August 15) in Alaska, is seen as a potential breakthrough.

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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.

‘Territorial integrity non-negotiable’

In a statement posted to Telegram, Zelenskyy said Ukraine's territorial integrity, enshrined in the constitution, must be non-negotiable and emphasised 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 marginalise 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 recognise Ukraine’s inability to regain lost territories militarily.

Trump hints at swapping of territories

Trump said he will meet with Putin to discuss ending the war in Ukraine. In comments to reporters at the White House before his post confirming the date and place of the summit, Trump suggested that any agreement would likely involve “some swapping of territories.” The US president said: “But we’re gonna get some [territory] back. We’re gonna get some switched. There’ll be some swapping of territories, to the betterment of both.” He did not provide further details.

“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,” said Putin's foreign affairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov, in a statement on Saturday.

Also read | Ukraine, Russia agree to swap dead and wounded; no progress on ending war

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.

Putin not keen on meeting Zelenskyy

Earlier, Putin said he was not ready to meet his Ukrainian counterpart Zelenskyy following a proposal for a three-way meeting by US envoy Steve Witkoff. “I have nothing against it in general, it is possible, but certain conditions must be created for this,” Putin said of a meeting with Zelenskyy. “But unfortunately, we are still far from creating such conditions.”

Meanwhile, Ushakov said another summit with the US president could be held in Moscow, and said an invite had already been extended. The White House has not commented yet on the remarks.

(With agency inputs)