In the room with Zelensky
I sat down at the conference room table as a technical assistant asked me what language I wanted my headset tuned to.
'English,' I replied.
The man flipped through the channels on a small receiver sitting atop the table. Satisfied, he handed me the earpiece and moved on to the next person.
I was one of about 20 journalists invited to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy this week. I made my way over to the Presidential Palace, where my phones, wallet and practically everything else in my pockets except a notebook and pen were confiscated.
The conference room table was made of wood and was light in color. The room was an off-white, adorned with golden decor and detailing. Reporters sat there quietly, flipping through their notes.
Suddenly, the door opened, and in walked Zelenskyy. He put his head down and made a beeline for the open seat at the table, which was reserved for him, sat down, muttered something in Ukrainian, and immediately began ticking off battlefield assessments and statistics.
'Kharkiv, we are holding,' Zelenskyy said. 'Sumy, more or less positive. Donetsk, that's where we have problems,' he said. The night before, it was widely reported that a small unit of Russian troops had pierced the Ukrainian front. The incident was causing concern on the ground among the locals, especially considering negotiations were scheduled to soon kick off in Alaska.
'Some have already been located — partly eliminated, partly taken prisoner,' Zelenskyy said. 'The rest will also be found and destroyed in the near future.'
I saw a tense leader that morning with my own two eyes.
That's how many on the ground here in Ukraine feel today.
Tomorrow in Alaska, two world leaders will sit down face-to-face and discuss the future of a country thousands of miles away — which will notably be absent from this round of talks.
Also on the outside looking in are the Europeans. It's no surprise we saw Zelenskyy in Germany yesterday, meeting with Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and in London today with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
President Donald Trump has said he wants to sit down, face-to-face with the Russian leader to determine if he's actually serious about reaching a ceasefire in the war in Ukraine.
He was asked if Russia would face any consequences if Putin doesn't agree to stop the war.
'There will be very severe consequences,' Trump said in response.
However, if Friday is a success, the door is open for potentially all three heads of state to soon be together in the same room.
'If the first one goes okay, we'll have a quick second one. I would like to do it almost immediately, and we'll have a quick second meeting between President Putin and President Zelenskiy and myself, if they'd like to have me there,' Trump said.
That's when the issue of territories will likely be brought up — in meeting No. 2.
It's already a tense topic here, especially as Russia has already made gains in the East, and Ukraine anticipates a large-scale offensive will take hold sometime shortly after the Alaska meeting.
'Across all directions this month, they will try to demonstrate some kind of advance in order to exert political pressure on Ukraine, seeking certain concessions,' Zelenskyy said. 'And I want them to know that we understand this — and that our military will be preparing for it.'
Zelenskyy told the group of reporters that, in total, he believes about 30,000 of the 53,000 estimated Russian troops in Sumy will be redeployed. Ukraine anticipates that Russia plans to send roughly 15,000 troops toward Zaporizhzhia, 7,000 to Pokrovsk, and 5,000 to Novopavlivka.
In essence, the Russians believe they have found a weak spot in the Ukrainian line and intend to hit it.
As the Kremlin appeared ready to up the pressure, Zelenskyy was less confident that Russia wants a deal.
'I told my colleagues, the U.S. president and our European friends, that Putin definitely does not want peace,' Zelenskyy said. 'He wants the occupation of our country. And we all really understand that. Putin will not be able to deceive anyone. We need further pressure for peace. Not only American, but also European sanctions.'
That's how many feel here in Ukraine, as the bear and the eagle are set to collide Friday.
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