Latest news with #Russia-Ukraine war
Al Jazeera
6 days ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Trump touts second trilateral meeting before Putin summit; Zelenskyy pushes
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has reiterated that there should be no peace talks to end the Russia-Ukraine war now in its fourth year without representation from his country, and also said Russia should face sanctions if it does not agree to an immediate ceasefire, following a virtual meeting between him, United States President Donald Trump and European leaders. Zelenskyy delivered the message after the call on Wednesday, two days ahead of a summit between Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Alaska, which comes as part of Washington's so far failed attempts to end the war in Ukraine. Meanwhile, Trump promised to hold trilateral talks with both Ukraine and Russia, if Friday's summit 'goes OK'. 'I would like to do it immediately,' he said. 'We'll have a quick second meeting between President Putin and President Zelenskyy and myself if they'd like to have me there.' The rapid developments came after Trump met virtually with Zelenskyy and other European leaders including France's Emmanuel Macron and the United Kingdom's Keir Starmer on Wednesday. Arranged in a bid for Europe to try and influence Trump's meeting with Putin on Friday, this second call took place after talks earlier in the day between Zelenskyy, European leaders and the heads of NATO and the European Union. Trump and European leaders called their joint meeting a success, with the US president describing it as a 'very good call'. 'I would rate it a 10. Very friendly,' he said, speaking during a press conference at the Kennedy Center. Trump noted that he would be calling Zelenskyy and European leaders immediately following his meeting with Putin. At a press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Zelenskyy expressed his hope that the Trump-Putin summit would focus on an 'immediate ceasefire'. 'Sanctions must be in place and must be strengthened if Russia does not agree to a ceasefire,' he added. As the Russian army continues to make sizable territorial gains in the east Ukrainian province of Donetsk, Zelenskyy told the US president and his European colleagues that Putin was 'bluffing' about pursuing peace. His choice of words, a term commonly used in reference to poker, evoked Trump telling Zelenskyy, 'you don't have the cards' in the infamously hostile news conference at the White House on February 28th. 'He is trying to apply pressure before the meeting in Alaska along all parts of the Ukrainian front,' Zelenskyy suggested. 'Russia is trying to show that it can occupy all of Ukraine.' After the Trump call, Merz, who described the meeting as 'exceptionally constructive', stressed that Ukraine is willing to negotiate, but noted that 'legal recognition of Russian occupation is not up for debate'. 'The principle that borders cannot be changed by force must continue to apply,' Merz said. 'Negotiations must include robust security guarantees for Kyiv,' he added. 'The Ukrainian armed forces must be able and remain able to effectively defend the sovereignty of their country. They must also be able to count on Western aid in the long term.' After the online meeting, France's Macron said Trump would be seeking a ceasefire in Ukraine during his meeting with Putin on Friday. The US president would also seek a trilateral meeting with Putin and Zelenskyy in the future, the French president noted. The Trump-Putin summit in Alaska has been a cause for anxiety in Kyiv and Europe more widely, after Trump declared that both Ukraine and Russia would have to swap land if a truce is to be reached. Speaking from the UK on Wednesday, JD Vance, the US vice-president, seemed to try to allay fears in Europe. 'I just talked to him [Trump] right before I came on the stage, and he said very simply that we are going to make it our mission as an administration to bring peace to Europe once again,' Vance said. Reporting from Berlin, Al Jazeera's Step Vaessen said there was 'some optimism' in Europe that Trump had agreed to Wednesday's meeting. However, Vaessen noted that European leaders were still 'concerned that everything changes as soon as President Trump is in that room with President Putin, who they know is a very keen, a very sharp negotiator'. Elsewhere, the Russian Foreign Ministry sought to downplay the relevance of Europe's last-minute diplomatic efforts with Trump, branding them 'practically insignificant'. On the battlefield, Russia has claimed to have captured the villages of Suvorovo and Nikanorovka as its gains in Donetsk continue, with the Ukrainian authorities issuing evacuation orders for around a dozen settlements. The Kremlin's forces achieved their largest 24-hour advance in more than a year on Tuesday, according to data from the US-based Institute for the Study of War.
Al Jazeera
6 days ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Russia-Ukraine war live: Kyiv, EU leaders meet Trump ahead of Putin summit
Following a video conference between US President Donald Trump and the leaders of Germany, Finland, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Poland and the European Union, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his country must be included in peace talks regarding the Russia-Ukraine war. The discussion focused on the war before Trump's meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday.
CBC
09-08-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Zelenskyy says any peace deal without Ukraine at the table 'will never work' as Trump and Putin set to meet
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has dismissed the anticipated summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, warning that any peace deal excluding Kyiv would lead to "dead decisions." Zelenskyy made the comments in a statement posted to Telegram on Saturday, a day after Trump said the summit would be held Aug. 15 in Alaska and that he planned to discuss ending the Russia-Ukraine war. Trump had previously agreed to see Putin even if the Russian leader would not meet with Zelenskyy, stoking fears Ukraine could be sidelined in efforts to stop war. Zelenskyy said Ukraine "will not give Russia any awards for what it has done" and "Ukrainians will not give their land to the occupier." Touching on Ukrainian anxieties that a direct meeting between Putin and Trump could marginalize Kyiv and European interests, Ukraine's president said: "Any decisions that are without Ukraine are at the same time decisions against peace. They will not bring anything. These are dead decisions. They will never work." Ukrainian officials previously told The Associated Press privately that Kyiv would be amenable to a peace deal that would de facto recognize Ukraine's inability to regain lost territories militarily. In a statement posted to the Kremlin's news channel, Putin's foreign affairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov, referenced the upcoming summit. "It seems entirely logical for our delegation to fly across the Bering Strait simply, and for such an important and anticipated summit of the leaders of the two countries to be held in Alaska," said Ushakov. Such a meeting may prove pivotal in a war that began more than three years ago when Russia invaded its western neighbour and has led to tens of thousands of deaths. However, Moscow and Kyiv remain far apart on their conditions for peace. In comments to reporters at the White House before his post confirming the date and place of the summit, Trump suggested that any agreement would likely involve "some swapping of territories," but he gave no details. Analysts, including some close to the Kremlin, have suggested that Russia could offer to give up territory it controls outside of the four regions it claims to have annexed. Trump said his meeting with Putin would come before any sit-down discussion involving Zelenskyy. His announcement that he planned to host one of his country's adversaries on U.S. soil broke with expectations that they'd meet in a third country. Ultimatums and sanctions Exasperated that Putin did not heed his calls to stop bombing Ukrainian cities, Trump, almost two weeks ago, moved up his ultimatum to impose additional sanctions on Russia and introduce secondary tariffs targeting countries that buy Russian oil if the Kremlin didn't move toward a settlement. WATCH | What it would take for U.S.-Russia to reach 'a meaningful ceasefire': What to expect following U.S. envoy, Putin ceasefire talks in Moscow 3 days ago The deadline was Friday. But the White House did not answer questions that evening about the state of possible sanctions after Trump announced the upcoming meeting with Putin. Prior to that, Trump's efforts to pressure Russia into stopping the fighting had delivered no progress. The Kremlin's bigger army is slowly advancing deeper into Ukraine at great cost in troops and armour while it relentlessly bombards Ukrainian cities. Russia and Ukraine are far apart on their terms for peace. Russia, Ukraine trade attacks Also on Saturday, two people died and 16 were wounded after a Russian drone hit a minibus in the suburbs of the Ukrainian city of Kherson, regional Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin said. Two others died after a Russian drone struck their car in the Zaporizhzhia region, according to regional Gov. Ivan Fedorov. Ukraine's air force said it intercepted 16 of the 47 Russian drones launched overnight, while 31 drones hit targets across 15 locations. It also said it shot down one of the two missiles Russia deployed. Russia's Defence Ministry said its air defences shot down 97 Ukrainian drones over Russia and the Black Sea overnight and into Saturday, and 21 more later in the morning.
