Zelenskiy in UK as Ukraine braces for Trump-Putin meet
Friday's Alaska summit comes at one of the toughest moments for Ukraine in a war, the largest in Europe since World War II, that has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.
On the back foot on the battlefield against Russian forces, Zelenskiy and his allies are keen to avoid any deal between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin that leaves Ukraine more vulnerable to Russian attacks.
Zelenskiy met British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to build on momentum from virtual talks on Wednesday with European leaders and Trump to try to set red lines for the talks between Trump and Putin in Anchorage, Alaska.
Zelenskiy and Starmer embraced on Thursday before heading in to their meeting in Downing Street.
On Wednesday, Trump threatened "severe consequences" if Putin does not agree to peace in Ukraine and while he did not specify what the consequences could be, he has warned of economic sanctions if his meeting on Friday proves fruitless.
"Yesterday was a pivotal moment for reinforcing European and transatlantic unity," Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on X.
"We need peace through strength as a foundation for the future of global security and stability."
Zelenskiy said he warned Trump that Putin was "bluffing" about his desire to end the war, and that Trump had supported the idea of security guarantees in a postwar settlement.
Politico cited people familiar with the situation as saying that Trump had said the US could provide guarantees with some conditions.
A source familiar with the matter told Reuters security guarantees were discussed on the call.
Zelenskiy confirmed this week that Russian forces had advanced by about 10km near the town of Dobropillia in the Donetsk region.
Ukraine, suffering manpower challenges, was forced to move in reserves to stabilise the situation.
Trump's comments and the outcome of the virtual conference on Wednesday could provide encouragement for Kyiv.
Trump described the aim of his talks with Putin in Alaska as "setting the table" for a quick follow-up that would include Zelenskiy.
However, Russia is likely to resist Ukraine and Europe's demands strongly and previously has said its stance had not changed since it was first detailed by Putin in June 2024.
Trump has said a deal could include what he called a land swap.
Russia controls around a fifth of Ukraine and a land swap within Ukraine could cement Moscow's gains.
Zelenskiy and the Europeans worry that would reward Putin for nearly 11 years of efforts to seize Ukrainian land and embolden him to expand further west in Europe.
A source familiar with the matter said Russian special envoy Kirill Dmitriev will take part in Friday's summit.
Dmitriev, who heads Russia's RDIF sovereign wealth fund, has previously held talks with Steve Witkoff, Trump's special envoy, and has spoken of possible business co-operation between Moscow and Washington.
Trump's agreement last week to the summit was an abrupt shift after weeks of voicing frustration with Putin for resisting the US peace initiative.
As conditions for a ceasefire and the start of talks, Putin has demanded Ukraine withdraw its forces from four regions that Russia has claimed as its own but does not fully control, and formally renounce plans to join NATO.
Kyiv swiftly rejected the conditions as tantamount to surrender.
With just one day to go until a US-Russian summit on ending the war in Ukraine, its president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has visited London to shore up European support for efforts to prevent any agreement that would carve up Ukrainian land.
Friday's Alaska summit comes at one of the toughest moments for Ukraine in a war, the largest in Europe since World War II, that has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.
On the back foot on the battlefield against Russian forces, Zelenskiy and his allies are keen to avoid any deal between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin that leaves Ukraine more vulnerable to Russian attacks.
Zelenskiy met British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to build on momentum from virtual talks on Wednesday with European leaders and Trump to try to set red lines for the talks between Trump and Putin in Anchorage, Alaska.
Zelenskiy and Starmer embraced on Thursday before heading in to their meeting in Downing Street.
On Wednesday, Trump threatened "severe consequences" if Putin does not agree to peace in Ukraine and while he did not specify what the consequences could be, he has warned of economic sanctions if his meeting on Friday proves fruitless.
"Yesterday was a pivotal moment for reinforcing European and transatlantic unity," Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on X.
"We need peace through strength as a foundation for the future of global security and stability."
Zelenskiy said he warned Trump that Putin was "bluffing" about his desire to end the war, and that Trump had supported the idea of security guarantees in a postwar settlement.
Politico cited people familiar with the situation as saying that Trump had said the US could provide guarantees with some conditions.
A source familiar with the matter told Reuters security guarantees were discussed on the call.
Zelenskiy confirmed this week that Russian forces had advanced by about 10km near the town of Dobropillia in the Donetsk region.
Ukraine, suffering manpower challenges, was forced to move in reserves to stabilise the situation.
Trump's comments and the outcome of the virtual conference on Wednesday could provide encouragement for Kyiv.
Trump described the aim of his talks with Putin in Alaska as "setting the table" for a quick follow-up that would include Zelenskiy.
However, Russia is likely to resist Ukraine and Europe's demands strongly and previously has said its stance had not changed since it was first detailed by Putin in June 2024.
Trump has said a deal could include what he called a land swap.
Russia controls around a fifth of Ukraine and a land swap within Ukraine could cement Moscow's gains.
Zelenskiy and the Europeans worry that would reward Putin for nearly 11 years of efforts to seize Ukrainian land and embolden him to expand further west in Europe.
A source familiar with the matter said Russian special envoy Kirill Dmitriev will take part in Friday's summit.
Dmitriev, who heads Russia's RDIF sovereign wealth fund, has previously held talks with Steve Witkoff, Trump's special envoy, and has spoken of possible business co-operation between Moscow and Washington.
Trump's agreement last week to the summit was an abrupt shift after weeks of voicing frustration with Putin for resisting the US peace initiative.
As conditions for a ceasefire and the start of talks, Putin has demanded Ukraine withdraw its forces from four regions that Russia has claimed as its own but does not fully control, and formally renounce plans to join NATO.
Kyiv swiftly rejected the conditions as tantamount to surrender.
With just one day to go until a US-Russian summit on ending the war in Ukraine, its president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has visited London to shore up European support for efforts to prevent any agreement that would carve up Ukrainian land.
Friday's Alaska summit comes at one of the toughest moments for Ukraine in a war, the largest in Europe since World War II, that has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.
On the back foot on the battlefield against Russian forces, Zelenskiy and his allies are keen to avoid any deal between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin that leaves Ukraine more vulnerable to Russian attacks.
Zelenskiy met British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to build on momentum from virtual talks on Wednesday with European leaders and Trump to try to set red lines for the talks between Trump and Putin in Anchorage, Alaska.
Zelenskiy and Starmer embraced on Thursday before heading in to their meeting in Downing Street.
On Wednesday, Trump threatened "severe consequences" if Putin does not agree to peace in Ukraine and while he did not specify what the consequences could be, he has warned of economic sanctions if his meeting on Friday proves fruitless.
"Yesterday was a pivotal moment for reinforcing European and transatlantic unity," Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on X.
"We need peace through strength as a foundation for the future of global security and stability."
Zelenskiy said he warned Trump that Putin was "bluffing" about his desire to end the war, and that Trump had supported the idea of security guarantees in a postwar settlement.
Politico cited people familiar with the situation as saying that Trump had said the US could provide guarantees with some conditions.
A source familiar with the matter told Reuters security guarantees were discussed on the call.
Zelenskiy confirmed this week that Russian forces had advanced by about 10km near the town of Dobropillia in the Donetsk region.
Ukraine, suffering manpower challenges, was forced to move in reserves to stabilise the situation.
Trump's comments and the outcome of the virtual conference on Wednesday could provide encouragement for Kyiv.
Trump described the aim of his talks with Putin in Alaska as "setting the table" for a quick follow-up that would include Zelenskiy.
However, Russia is likely to resist Ukraine and Europe's demands strongly and previously has said its stance had not changed since it was first detailed by Putin in June 2024.
Trump has said a deal could include what he called a land swap.
Russia controls around a fifth of Ukraine and a land swap within Ukraine could cement Moscow's gains.
Zelenskiy and the Europeans worry that would reward Putin for nearly 11 years of efforts to seize Ukrainian land and embolden him to expand further west in Europe.
A source familiar with the matter said Russian special envoy Kirill Dmitriev will take part in Friday's summit.
Dmitriev, who heads Russia's RDIF sovereign wealth fund, has previously held talks with Steve Witkoff, Trump's special envoy, and has spoken of possible business co-operation between Moscow and Washington.
Trump's agreement last week to the summit was an abrupt shift after weeks of voicing frustration with Putin for resisting the US peace initiative.
As conditions for a ceasefire and the start of talks, Putin has demanded Ukraine withdraw its forces from four regions that Russia has claimed as its own but does not fully control, and formally renounce plans to join NATO.
Kyiv swiftly rejected the conditions as tantamount to surrender.
With just one day to go until a US-Russian summit on ending the war in Ukraine, its president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has visited London to shore up European support for efforts to prevent any agreement that would carve up Ukrainian land.
Friday's Alaska summit comes at one of the toughest moments for Ukraine in a war, the largest in Europe since World War II, that has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.
On the back foot on the battlefield against Russian forces, Zelenskiy and his allies are keen to avoid any deal between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin that leaves Ukraine more vulnerable to Russian attacks.
Zelenskiy met British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to build on momentum from virtual talks on Wednesday with European leaders and Trump to try to set red lines for the talks between Trump and Putin in Anchorage, Alaska.
Zelenskiy and Starmer embraced on Thursday before heading in to their meeting in Downing Street.
On Wednesday, Trump threatened "severe consequences" if Putin does not agree to peace in Ukraine and while he did not specify what the consequences could be, he has warned of economic sanctions if his meeting on Friday proves fruitless.
"Yesterday was a pivotal moment for reinforcing European and transatlantic unity," Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on X.
"We need peace through strength as a foundation for the future of global security and stability."
Zelenskiy said he warned Trump that Putin was "bluffing" about his desire to end the war, and that Trump had supported the idea of security guarantees in a postwar settlement.
Politico cited people familiar with the situation as saying that Trump had said the US could provide guarantees with some conditions.
A source familiar with the matter told Reuters security guarantees were discussed on the call.
Zelenskiy confirmed this week that Russian forces had advanced by about 10km near the town of Dobropillia in the Donetsk region.
Ukraine, suffering manpower challenges, was forced to move in reserves to stabilise the situation.
Trump's comments and the outcome of the virtual conference on Wednesday could provide encouragement for Kyiv.
Trump described the aim of his talks with Putin in Alaska as "setting the table" for a quick follow-up that would include Zelenskiy.
However, Russia is likely to resist Ukraine and Europe's demands strongly and previously has said its stance had not changed since it was first detailed by Putin in June 2024.
Trump has said a deal could include what he called a land swap.
Russia controls around a fifth of Ukraine and a land swap within Ukraine could cement Moscow's gains.
Zelenskiy and the Europeans worry that would reward Putin for nearly 11 years of efforts to seize Ukrainian land and embolden him to expand further west in Europe.
A source familiar with the matter said Russian special envoy Kirill Dmitriev will take part in Friday's summit.
Dmitriev, who heads Russia's RDIF sovereign wealth fund, has previously held talks with Steve Witkoff, Trump's special envoy, and has spoken of possible business co-operation between Moscow and Washington.
Trump's agreement last week to the summit was an abrupt shift after weeks of voicing frustration with Putin for resisting the US peace initiative.
As conditions for a ceasefire and the start of talks, Putin has demanded Ukraine withdraw its forces from four regions that Russia has claimed as its own but does not fully control, and formally renounce plans to join NATO.
Kyiv swiftly rejected the conditions as tantamount to surrender.
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Has state recognition changed the game in Gaza? Only for the deluded
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Has state recognition changed the game in Gaza? Only for the deluded
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11 minutes ago
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However, an internal US government analysis reportedly found no evidence of this happening with US aid, findings that were challenged by the White House. US members of Congress have raised concerns about the "militarisation" of aid through GHF's involvement with both the IDF and armed US contractors, and its lack of experience delivering humanitarian aid. Many observers say aid providers should be impartial and independent of military forces. Australian lawyer Chris Sidoti, who co-chaired the UN Commission of Inquiry into the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel, says the secrecy around GHF raises suspicions about its true purpose. "No one really knows where [GHF] came from, who set it up, whose idea it was, who's funding it, and where they're sourcing their personnel," Mr Sidoti told the ABC. "Except, we do know that a number of the American security guards are former military personnel, so whether that means that they've totally divorced themselves from any contact with the military — or for example with the CIA — is something that no one knows. GHF planned to set up a Swiss bank account option for donors but settled on registration in the secretive US tax haven of Delaware in February. Its executive director, former US Marine Jake Wood, quit before its aid hubs even opened. "I am proud of the work I oversaw, including developing a pragmatic plan that could feed hungry people, address security concerns about diversion, and complement the work of longstanding NGOs in Gaza," Mr Wood said in a statement. "However, it is clear that it is not possible to implement this plan while also strictly adhering to the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence, which I will not abandon." He was replaced by Reverend Johnnie Moore, a "close ally" of US President Donald Trump, according to Democrat lawmakers, and a leader of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. GHF claimed to have launched operations with almost $US120 million ($183 million) of funding from "other government donors". Israel denied it was among them, despite reports that the government covertly poured about $US280 million into the GHF "aid mechanism". The US state department approved a $US30m grant to GHF in June, reportedly despite objections from USAID officials, including one who found it failed to meet "minimum technical or budgetary standards". Democrat lawmakers say this is "troubling" and that GHF aid hubs appear to "operate at a reduced capacity at an exorbitant cost" way beyond those of "experienced humanitarian organizations". They have demanded an investigation of GHF and say full disclosure of its funding is "imperative". GHF runs its aid hubs in Gaza with two private American firms — Safe Reach Solutions and UG Solutions — providing security and logistics. The online footprints of some of these contractors offer a glimpse of GHF's close alignment with the US and Israeli governments. They are also a window into the backgrounds of some of those now responsible for delivering most of the aid in Gaza. According to his LinkedIn profile, contractor Michael Reynolds's role with UG Solutions includes ensuring "the safety and operational continuity of US and Israeli personnel". It also involves following "US Department of State and host nation security directives" and coordinating "closely with multinational military [and] governmental partners". Anthony Aguilar told the ABC that he recognised Mr Reynolds as one of those providing "static site" security for GHF in southern Gaza. He said Mr Reynolds's role was "crowd control" and that he was "armed with a fully automatic rifle, a combat pistol, stun grenades, tear gas and riot baton". Mr Reynolds previously worked for Mayhem Solutions Group, an Arizona-based security and intelligence outfit that was involved in reconnaissance patrols of the Mexican border and was associated with the hard right of US President Donald Trump's MAGA movement. Mr Reynolds was "vice-president of global risk solutions" for Mayhem when it was alleged to be an "anti-government extremist organisation" by the Southern Poverty Law Centre (SPLC) in 2022. SPLC has been monitoring and taking legal action against extremist groups since the 1970s, and partnered with law enforcement including the FBI. SPLC's claims about Mayhem would place it in the same category as militias such as the Oath Keepers, whose leader was jailed for seditious conspiracy over the January 6 insurrection in Washington before Mr Trump pardoned him. Mayhem was reportedly paid up to $US20 million by a Texas state contractor to help transport immigrants and asylum seekers interstate in what a whistleblower claimed were "disgusting and inhuman" conditions. Mayhem also shared intelligence and data on border crossings with The America Project, an organisation that was co-founded by former Trump national security advisor Lieutenant General Michael Flynn and funded political candidates who denied the results of the 2020 US election. SPLC claims "anti-government groups" such as Mayhem are "part of the anti-democratic hard-right movement". "They believe the federal government is tyrannical, and they traffic in conspiracy theories about an illegitimate government of leftist elites seeking a 'New World Order.'" A spokesman for UG Solutions did not directly address questions about specific employees. He said the company "hires only experienced professionals — primarily former US Special Operations Forces and intelligence personnel — who have demonstrated years of operational excellence". "Each individual undergoes extensive vetting, reference checks, and must meet our stringent standards for weapons proficiency and operational conduct prior to deployment, including qualifying on their weapons. "Every team member undergoes comprehensive background checks, and only qualified, vetted individuals are deployed on UG Solutions operations." UG Solutions's chief executive is a former US Army Special Forces soldier and its "head of talent acquisition" was an army counterintelligence officer. Neither man could be reached by phone. The ABC spoke briefly to a former US Army staff sergeant employed by UG Solutions as an "international humanitarian security officer". "I can't give a comment at this time, thank you." GHF's other security provider, Safe Reach Solutions, was founded by former senior CIA operative Philip Reilly. Mr Reilly was the deputy chief of Operation Jawbreaker, the CIA's response to the 9/11 attacks in 2001, and was then among the first US agents on the ground in Afghanistan, where he became chief of "the largest [CIA] station in the world at the time". Until last December, he was also a senior adviser at Boston Consulting Group, where two senior partners reportedly met with Israeli officials to work out how GHF would operate and set prices for the security contractors. Boston sacked the partners in June, saying the work for GHF was "unauthorised". Mr Reilly's employees now include a former Pentagon official who led a review of close-combat operations during the first Trump presidency, a former US State Department official who became an Air Force intelligence officer, and a former US Army logistics officer who advised the Palestinian Authority on vehicle and small arms maintenance. For all that, the US members of Congress demanding an investigation say they have "serious concerns" that GHF and its partners, with no prior humanitarian experience … could become the sole or primary aid provider in Gaza". Mohamed Duar, Amnesty International Australia's spokesperson on the occupied Palestinian territories, says GHF is an "illegitimate and inhumane aid agency" that was never going to replace the work of others in Gaza, including the UN's relief agencies. "The alarming concern is that GHF puts Israeli forces and possibly paid mercenaries in charge of aid delivery," he says. "Humanitarian aid principles should never be politicised or weaponised." Mr Duar offers the grim prediction that "more people will die from starvation than will die from bombardment to date". The Israeli military campaign has killed more than 60,000 Palestinians in almost 22 months, according to the Gaza health ministry. It was triggered by Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed about 1,200 people and took 251 hostage — 49 of them still held in Gaza, with 20 believed to be alive — by Israeli tallies. Mr Sidoti says the failures of GHF raise the possibility that it was merely a ploy to pay lip service to international concerns. "The killings continue. The whole exercise has been an absolute shambles," he says.
