Ukraine's Zelensky calls Trump summit in Alaska a ‘personal victory' for Putin
Zelensky also ruled out withdrawing troops from Ukraine's eastern Donbas region as part of a peace deal, after Trump suggested he and Putin might negotiate a land swap to end the war.
The summit, set to take place in Alaska on Friday, will be the first between a sitting US and Russian president since 2021 and comes as Trump seeks to broker an end to Russia's nearly 3½-year invasion of Ukraine.
Zelensky, who is not scheduled to take part, has expressed concern that Russia will put forward hardline demands and that Trump will hammer out a deal that will see Ukraine cede swathes of territory.
'We will not withdraw from the Donbas … if we withdraw from the Donbas today – our fortifications, our terrain, the heights we control – we will clearly open a bridgehead for the Russians to prepare an offensive,' Zelensky told reporters.
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The Donbas encompasses the eastern Ukrainian regions of Luhansk and Donetsk, both of which Russia claims as its own and has sought to control since its invasion began in 2022.
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