Zelensky rejects ceding land, says Ukraine must be part of US talks

The Trump-Putin meeting may prove pivotal in a war that began when Russia invaded its western neighbour and has led to tens of thousands of deaths

- AssociatedPress

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday rejected the idea that his country would give up land to end the war with Russia after US President Donald Trump suggested a peace deal could include “some swapping of territories.

Zelensky said Ukraine “will not give Russia any awards for what it has done” and that “Ukrainians will not give their land to the occupier.”

The remarks came after Trump said on Friday that he would meet with Vladimir Putin even if the Russian leader would not meet with Zelensky. The Trump-Putin meeting, scheduled for Friday in Alaska, is seen as a potential breakthrough in the more than three-year war.

Zelensky dismissed the planned summit, warning that any negotiations to end Europe's biggest conflict since World War I must include Kyiv.

“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,” he said.