Kyiv must be part of any negotiation: President

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. Volodymyr Zelenskyy Ukrainian President 

Ukrainian President Volody­myr Zelenskyy dismissed on Saturday 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 in Alaska, is seen as a potential breakthrough.

Trump had previously agreed to meet Putin even if the Russian leader would not meet with Zelenskyy, stoking fears Ukraine could be sidelined to stop the continent’s biggest conflict since WWII.

In a post on Telegram, Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s territorial integrity, enshrined in the constitution, must be non-negotiable and emphasised 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.” He touched on Ukrainian anxieties that a direct meeting between Putin and Trump could marginalise Kyiv and European interests.

President Zelenskyy said he held a conversation with the UK PM Sir Keir Starmer and shared the need for “truly lasting peace” for Ukraine.

On X, Zelenskyy said, “I spoke with UK PM Keir Starmer. I am grateful for the support. We share the same view on the need for a truly lasting peace for Ukraine and on the danger of Russia’s plan to reduce everything to discussing the impossible.”

He added, “Clear steps are needed, as well as maximum coordination between us and our partners. We value the determination of the UK, the US, and all our partners to end the war. We are actively working for constructive diplomacy and to ensure that the decisions can work. We agreed on further contacts.”

In another development, US Vice President JD Vance and UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy were to host a meeting of national security advisers on Saturday on the Ukraine war. Meanwhile, two people died and 16 were wounded when a Russian drone hit a minibus in Ukraine’s Kherson.