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Zelensky wins EU, Nato backing as he seeks place at Trump-Putin talks

Zelensky wins EU, Nato backing as he seeks place at Trump-Putin talks

TimesLIVE13 hours ago
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky won diplomatic backing from Europe and the Nato alliance on Sunday ahead of a Russia-US summit this week where Kyiv fears Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump may try to dictate terms for ending the war.
Trump, who for weeks had been threatening new sanctions against Russia for failing to halt the war, announced instead on Friday he would meet Putin on August 15 in Alaska.
A White House official said Trump is open to Zelensky attending but preparations are under way for only a bilateral meeting.
Russian strikes injured at least 12 people in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region, the country's foreign affairs ministry said on Sunday.
Responding to the strike, Zelensky said: 'That is why sanctions are needed, pressure is needed.'
The Kremlin leader last week ruled out meeting Zelensky, saying conditions for such an encounter were 'unfortunately still far' from being met.
Trump said a potential deal would involve 'some swapping of territories to the betterment of the two (sides)", compounding Ukrainian fears that it may face pressure to surrender land.
Zelensky said any decisions taken without Ukraine will be 'stillborn' and unworkable. On Saturday the leaders of Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Finland and the European Commission said any diplomatic solution must protect the security interests of Ukraine and Europe.
'The US has the power to force Russia to negotiate seriously,' EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Sunday.
'Any deal between the US and Russia must have Ukraine and the EU included for it is a matter of Ukraine's and the whole of Europe's security.'
EU foreign ministers will meet on Monday to discuss next steps, she said.
Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte told US network ABC News Friday's summit 'will be about testing Putin, how serious he is on bringing the terrible war to an end'.
He said: 'It will be, of course, about security guarantees, but also about the absolute need to acknowledge Ukraine decides on its own future, that Ukraine has to be a sovereign nation, deciding on its own geopolitical future.'
Russia holds nearly a fifth of the country.
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