KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday dismissed 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 in the more than three-year war.
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 Europe’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 nonnegotiable, and emphasized that lasting peace must include Ukraine’s voice at the table.
Sure the pieces of land don’t matter to but the ukrainians, but if Putin gains anything it’ll signal to his own that he won and that attacking works. At this point any security guarantees mean basically nothing since the west has shown such a weak response, and Putin will just challenge the promises the moment he has the opportunity. Seeing how USA and western Europe still don’t seem to fully understand the situation, it’s easy to believe Ukraine can’t trust any guarantees given unless it’s something like straight up joining NATO, which isn’t on the table.
Yes, security guarantees such as something similar to NATO or US and EU forces at the border. That is a security guarantee. Nothing else would do. That’s obvious.
Ukraine would give land for that. The point is, Russia doesn’t want or need the land. They want to project power, not gain 0.05% to the territory they already have.