Zelensky ‘prepared to cede territory' held by Russia ahead of Alaska summit

Irish Independent

12 hours ago

Volodymyr Zelensky told European leaders that they must reject any settlement proposed by Donald Trump which sees them giving up Ukrainian land they still hold – but that Ukrainian territory in Russia's control could be on the table.
This would mean freezing the frontline where it is and handing Russia de-facto control of the territory it occupies in Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson and Crimea. The softening of the negotiating position comes ahead of crunch talks between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Alaska this Friday.
'The plan can only be related to the current positions held by the militaries,' a Western official said, characterising a frantic weekend of diplomacy between Kyiv and its allies.
Ukraine and Europe have become increasingly concerned that Mr Trump and Putin could negotiate an end to the long-running war over Mr Zelensky's head.
'I have many fears and a lot of hope,' Poland's prime minister, Donald Tusk, said yesterday. He said US officials had pledged to consult European leaders ahead of the face-to-face talks in Alaska.
Chief among European concerns was a purported peace plan endorsed by Moscow, which included freezing the front lines in south-eastern Ukraine if Kyiv agrees to withdraw from areas of Donetsk and Luhansk that it controls.
European capitals have opted to back Kyiv's vision for any territorial swaps in an attempt to convince Mr Trump that there is diplomatic weight behind a single 'Ukraine plus Europe' red line that rejects concessions for Ukrainian-held land.
'Europeans now understand their role as supportive of Ukraine in terms of the diplomatic negotiations,' the Western official said.
'It's a boost for morale, it's also strengthening the diplomatic positions of Ukraine so that it doesn't feel alone.'
At a news conference yesterday, Mr Tusk said: 'For Poland and our partners, it is clear that state borders cannot be changed by force.
'Russia's war with Ukraine must not bring benefits to the aggressor.'
France's Emmanuel Macron and Germany's Friedrich Merz issued similar statements in support of a hardline approach to territorial concessions over the weekend.
A joint declaration by the leaders of the European Commission, France, Italy, the UK, Poland and Finland said that 'the current line of contact should be the starting point of negotiations'.
European leaders are expected to hold talks with the US president tomorrow to make their case to him.
This doesn't exclude Mr Zelensky from taking the tough decision to cede territory already in the hands of Russia's invasion forces.
European officials believe the Ukrainian president has leeway with a growing number of voters who would stomach surrendering land to Moscow as the price for the end of the war.
Mr Trump claimed that he would know 'in the first two minutes' of his upcoming meeting with Putin if a peace deal could be reached between Russia and Ukraine.
'We're going to have a meeting with Vladimir Putin, and at the end of that meeting, probably in the first two minutes, I'll know exactly whether or not a deal can be made,' the president told reporters at a press conference yesterday.
Asked how he would know, the president replied: 'Because that's what I do. I make deals.'
However, Mr Trump later appeared to contradict himself, after saying that it was 'not up to him' if a deal was made or not.
'I'm not going to make a deal. It's not up to me to make a deal.
'I think a deal should be made for both,' he said.
Mr Trump briefly appeared to forget the location of the meeting, telling reporters at the press conference that he would be travelling to Russia.
He added that Mr Zelensky 'could' attend, but also appeared to question if it would help a deal be reached.
'He wasn't a part of it,' Mr Trump said, speaking about the setting up of the talks.
'I would say he could go, but he's been to a lot of meetings. You know, he's been there for three and a half years. Nothing happened.'
He added that, should a 'fair' deal be reached, he would inform the European Union as well as Mr Zelensky, who he would call first 'out of respect'.
'And I may say, 'lots of luck, keep fighting.' Or I may say 'we can make a deal,' he said.
(© Telegraph Media Group Holdings Ltd)