Putin to meet Trump in Alaska to discuss Ukrainian territory
The Kremlin has confirmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet US President Donald Trump in Alaska on August 15th to discuss a potential territorial deal aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, as reported by AL24 News (August 9th).
The talks could involve land swaps, Trump has said, in what would be the most significant territorial negotiations since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. “There’ll be some swapping of territories to the betterment of both,” Trump told reporters this week, suggesting a ceasefire might be close.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has rejected any cession of land, saying it would violate the country’s constitution. “Ukrainians will not gift their land to the occupiers,” he said on August 9th, warning that agreements reached without Kyiv’s involvement would be “stillborn” and unworkable.
Zelenskiy said in a video address to the nation, posted on his Telegram channel on August 9th, that any decisions made without Ukraine would be decisions against peace.
According to the outlet, Ukraine has previously signalled a willingness to compromise in the search for peace, but losing a fifth of Ukrainian territory would be painful and politically challenging for Zelenskiy and the Ukrainian government and people.
Putin spoke on the phone on August 7th with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the leaders of three former Soviet states to brief them on his contacts with Washington. EU and Ukrainian leaders are due to meet before the US-Russia summit.
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said the Alaska meeting would “focus on discussing options for achieving a long-term peaceful resolution to the Ukrainian crisis.” Ushakov acknowledged the process would be “challenging” but stated they would “engage in it actively and energetically.”
The summit venue is on territory that once belonged to Russia, a symbolic choice likely to appeal to Russian nationalists.
Russian investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev warned that “certain countries” would make “titanic efforts” to disrupt the talks through “provocations and disinformation.”
AL24 News, Maghrebi
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