Ukrainian President Zelenskiy rules out giving up territory ahead of Trump-Putin talks

Ukraine will not surrender any of its territory, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday, rejecting U.S. suggestions that a potential peace deal with Russia could involve land swaps. His remarks came as Washington and Moscow prepared for talks between their leaders aimed at ending the war.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Friday that he would meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on August 15, claiming that all sides, including Zelenskiy, were nearing an agreement that could end the three-and-a-half-year conflict. While details remain undisclosed, Trump said the deal might involve “some swapping of territories,” which could require Ukraine to give up significant land — a prospect Kyiv and its European allies say would reward Russian aggression.

“Ukrainians will not gift their land to the occupier,” Zelenskiy declared in a video address, stressing that Ukraine’s borders are enshrined in its constitution. “No one will deviate from this — and no one will be able to.”

U.S. Vice President JD Vance is set to meet Ukrainian and European allies in Britain on Saturday to discuss Trump’s peace push. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has also spoken with Zelenskiy, with Downing Street calling the meeting “a vital forum to secure a just and lasting peace.”

Zelenskiy has been holding a flurry of calls with allies since Trump’s envoy visited Moscow on Wednesday, which Trump described as “great progress.” He said Ukraine and its partners must take “clear steps” and maintain “maximum coordination.”

Kyiv and the European Union have pushed back against any settlement that would concede too much to Putin, whose forces invaded in February 2022. Moscow claims control over Crimea and four other Ukrainian regions — none of which it fully holds — and demands Ukraine withdraw from the parts still under its control.

Despite intense fighting along a 1,000-km front, Ukrainian officials and citizens remain resolute. “Not a single serviceman will agree to cede territory,” said Kyiv resident Olesia Petritska, gesturing to flags honoring fallen soldiers.