Ahead of US-Russia summit, Zelensky warns against ‘decisions without Ukraine'
'Ukrainians will not give their land to the occupier,' he said on social media, as US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin prepare to hold a summit next week in Alaska to discuss peace in Ukraine.
'Any decisions against us, any decisions without Ukraine, are also decisions against peace. They will achieve nothing,' he said, adding that the war 'cannot be ended without us, without Ukraine'.
Zelensky said Ukraine was 'ready for real decisions that can bring peace' but said it should be a 'dignified peace', without giving details.
Tens of thousands of people have been killed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, with millions forced to flee their homes.
A combination photo of Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and his US counterpart Donald Trump. Photo: AFP
Three rounds of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine this year have failed to bear fruit, and it remains unclear whether a summit would bring peace any closer.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
an hour ago
- South China Morning Post
Israel's far-right presses Netanyahu to go harder on Hamas
Israel's far-right pressed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to go harder against Hamas, ahead of a UN Security Council meeting on Sunday regarding the premier's plan to conquer Gaza City. Advertisement Over 22 months into the war in Gaza, Israel is gripped by a yawning divide, pitting those calling for an end to the conflict and a deal for the release of the hostages against others who want to see Hamas vanquished once and for all. The debate has only intensified after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's security cabinet announced plans on Friday to expand the conflict and capture Gaza City. While thousands took to the streets in Tel Aviv on Saturday night to protest the cabinet's decision, far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich posted a video online, slamming Netanyahu's decision on Gaza as half-hearted. 'The prime minister and the cabinet gave in to weakness. Emotion overcame reason, and they once again chose to do more of the same – launching a military operation whose goal is not decisive victory, but rather to apply limited pressure on Hamas in order to bring about a partial hostage deal,' Smotrich said. Nearly two years into the devastating war in Gaza, Israel faces mounting pressure to secure a truce to pull the territory's people back from the brink of famine and free hostages held by Palestinian militants. Photo: AFP 'They decided once again to repeat the same approach, embarking on a military operation that does not aim for a decisive resolution.'
South China Morning Post
7 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Armenians call Trump-brokered Azerbaijan peace deal ‘surrender document'
The streets were almost deserted in Yerevan on Saturday because of the summer heat, but at shaded parks and fountains, Armenians struggled to make sense of what the accord signed a day earlier in Washington means for them. The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan, two countries in the Caucasus involved in a territorial conflict since the fall of the Soviet Union, met on Friday and signed a peace treaty under the watch of US President Donald Trump. In Yerevan, however, few people were enthusiastic. 'It's a good thing that this document was signed because Armenia has no other choice,' said Asatur Srapyan, an 81-year-old retiree. He believes Armenia hasn't achieved much with this draft agreement, but it's a step in the right direction. 'We are very few in number, we don't have a powerful army, we don't have a powerful ally behind us, unlike Azerbaijan,' he said. 'This accord is a good opportunity for peace.'
South China Morning Post
12 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
How Southeast Asia haggled with erratic US economic might
And so it has come to this. After months of threats, intensive shuttle diplomacy and last-minute trade negotiations, Washington's new tariff regime has finally come into force. Advertisement For Southeast Asia, whose nations jostled for favour – and relief – from a White House wielding economic might with Donald Trump 's trademark unpredictability, this ledger of punitive levies has laid bare the US president's vision for a new global trade order: one underpinned by 'reciprocal' transactions. The wide spectrum of tariffs that took effect last week offers a telling window, not only onto the value the United States assigns to its trading partners, but also the concessions they made. Trump's sweeping executive order, issued on July 31, imposed tariffs that came into force from Thursday on a host of nations. Most Southeast Asian countries ended up with rates between 19 and 20 per cent – a figure that analysts say now serves as a de facto 'baseline' for future trade negotiations with the US. Vendors sell their wares in Vientiane. Landlocked Laos, a country of only 8 million, has been hit with a 40 per cent tariff by the US. Photo: AFP Laos and Myanmar , meanwhile, found themselves singled out for far harsher treatment, facing tariffs of 40 per cent. Advertisement
