Ukraine-Russia battle newest: Zelensky warns he won’t surrender land as Trump to fulfill Putin in Alaska | EUROtoday

Along-overdue summit between the presidents of the United States and the Russian Federation to debate peace in Ukraine, the place nuclear battle has been threatened, have to be seen as a historic second for optimism.

Except that from London to Langley, Berlin, Canberra and Tokyo, intelligence chiefs can be on tenterhooks questioning whether or not that is one other event resembling the assembly between an agent and his handler.

There’s no proof that Donald Trump works for Vladimir Putin. But there may be ample proof that the US president favours Putin’s agenda. And that he has carried out all he can to hobble Ukraine whereas it makes an attempt to defend itself towards a Russian invasion of Europe’s jap flank.

This poisonous relationship is bizarre and harmful for the West. World affairs editor Sam Kiley explains why

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky mentioned the deliberate summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, would result in “dead solutions” if the deal excluded Kyiv.

In a statement posted to Telegram, Zelensky said Ukraine “won’t give Russia any awards for what it has carried out” and that “Ukrainians won’t give their land to the occupier.”

He added: “Any options which might be with out Ukraine, are on the similar time options towards peace. They won’t carry something. These are useless options, they are going to by no means work.”

US president Donald Trump has not imposed new sanctions on Russia, despite Moscow missing his 8 August deadline to halt its war in Ukraine.

Trump had warned in July that Russia would face 100% secondary tariffs if it failed to agree to a ceasefire within 50 days. The measure, aimed at pressuring countries buying Russian oil, such as China and India, was part of a broader strategy to end the conflict.

As Russian strikes on Ukrainian cities continued, Trump moved the deadline forward to 8 August, expressing growing frustration with Moscow’s delays in the peace process.

Despite the missed deadline, Trump has not followed through with sanctions and is still expected to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on 15 August in Alaska for high-level peace talks.

US president Donald Trump has said a potential ceasefire deal between Russia and Ukraine will likely involve a “swapping of territories,” ahead of his proposed summit with Russian president Vladimir Putin on 15 August in Alaska.

Speaking alongside the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan on Friday, he said: “It’s very complicated. But we’re going to get some back, and we’re going to get some switched. There’ll be some swapping of territories to the betterment of both, but we’ll be talking about that either later or tomorrow.”

The comment comes amid reports that Putin is demanding Ukraine cede Donetsk, Luhansk, and Crimea.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has firmly rejected the idea of territorial concessions, saying Ukraine “will not give their land to occupiers” and any deal reached without Ukraine’s involvement “would be a solution against peace.”

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Ukraine will not violate its constitution on territorial integrity, declaring that “Ukrainians will not give their land to occupiers,” reported Reuters.

His comments come as US president Donald Trump prepares to meet Russian president Vladimir Putin for peace talks in Alaska on 15 August.

Putin is reportedly demanding Kyiv cede Donetsk, Luhansk, and Crimea in exchange for ending the war, a territorial concession that would legally require a referendum in Ukraine.

Zelensky said Ukraine is open to real solutions that could bring peace, but warned that any deal made without Kyiv’s involvement would be “a solution against peace”.

President Donald Trump is set to meet with Vladimir Putin in Alaska next week, the state that Russia once laid claim to and nationalists want to take back.

Trump announced Friday that a meeting has been set with the Russian leader on August 15 in the Last Frontier state to discuss the war in Ukraine, which the president claimed he would end “on Day One.”

Despite facing an International Criminal Court arrest warrant, the meeting would mark the first time in a decade that Putin has set foot on US soil.

Critics pointed out that Russia once laid claim to the state of Alaska at the beginning of the 1770s—where they mercilessly exploited Alaskan natives to hunt fur for the Russians—and nationalists have long wanted to take it back.

Top Ukrainian, US, and European officials are expected to hold talks in the UK ahead of Donald Trump’s planned meeting with Vladimir Putin next week, Axios reported, citing sources familiar with the discussions.

The meeting aims to align positions before the Alaska summit, as Trump intensifies efforts to broker a ceasefire in Ukraine. US special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Putin in Moscow earlier this week, and later joined a series of calls with Ukrainian and European leaders to discuss Russia’s proposals.

Putin is reportedly demanding Kyiv cede Donetsk, Luhansk, and Crimea in exchange for ending the war. Any such territorial concession would legally require a referendum in Ukraine, a Ukrainian official said.

Talks in the UK are still being finalised, with logistics and participants yet to be confirmed.

Donald Trump has claimed the end of the Ukraine war could come in weeks, despite his latest deadline for Vladimir Putin to agree to a ceasefire passing.

Last Monday, Trump dramatically shortened his previous 50-day ultimatum, giving Russia “10 to 12 days” to make progress toward peace or face tougher sanctions.

Sources close to the Kremlin say Putin is unlikely to bow to Trump’s threats, believing Russia holds the upper hand in the war and that the potential benefits of improved ties with Washington do not outweigh his military aims.

Here, The Independent looks at the times Trump has set deadlines for Russia:

US president Donald Trump imposed an additional 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods in response to New Delhi’s continued imports of Russian oil, escalating tensions between the two countries after trade talks collapsed.

The tariff, announced on 7 August and set to take effect in 21 days, will raise duties on certain Indian exports to as high as 50 per cent, making India subject to the highest import levy of any US trading partner.

India’s foreign ministry called the move “extremely unfortunate” and “unjustified,” pointing out that many other countries, including the US and EU, have continued trading with Russia.

“Our imports are based on market factors and done with the overall objective of ensuring the energy security of 1.4 billion people of India,” ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, adding that targeting India alone was unfair.