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Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has been ongoing for more than a decade. In 2014, Putin illegally seized Crimea. In February 2022, the Kremlin launched a full-scale invasion, plunging Europe into its most violent conflict since World War II.
Zelensky stressed his commitment to defending the nation’s sovereignty at all costs. “I am not going to surrender my country because I have no right to do so,” he said. He warned that abandoning the region would give Russia access to Ukraine’s defensive positions and key high ground.
Military intelligence in Kyiv has been tracking Russian troop movements for weeks, with officials saying Putin could be preparing a new offensive by September. “I haven’t heard anything — not a single proposal that would guarantee that a new war won’t start tomorrow and that Putin won’t try to occupy at least Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv,” Zelensky told the press.
For Zelensky, any discussion about territorial concessions is inseparable from long-term security guarantees. He argued that only Europe is offering such assurances, stating, “The exchange of territories is a very complex issue that cannot be separated from security guarantees for Ukraine, for our sovereign state and our people… no one except Europe is giving us security guarantees.”
A multi-nation meeting between the United States, Ukraine, and European leaders is scheduled for Wednesday. Trump has already signaled that Zelensky will not be present for Friday’s summit with Putin, but said he would speak with him immediately afterward.
The White House confirmed Zelensky’s exclusion from the Trump-Putin talks, citing that the meeting was arranged at Putin’s request. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters, “The president is agreeing to this meeting, at the request of President Putin… And the goal of this meeting for the president is to walk away with a better understanding of how we can end this war.”
She added that direct, face-to-face talks would give Trump “the best indication of how to end this war and where this is headed.”
Zelensky, however, rejected the idea of peace negotiations without Ukraine’s involvement. “Any decisions made against us, any decisions made without Ukraine — they are simultaneously decisions against peace,” he declared over the weekend. “These are dead decisions; they will never work. And what we all need is a real, living peace, one that people will respect.”
Several European allies echoed Zelensky’s position in a joint statement, saying “the path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine.”
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Trump said he expects to know “within minutes” whether Putin is genuinely serious about a peace agreement. He acknowledged that any deal would inevitably involve “land-swapping” negotiations — a topic sure to ignite fierce debate both in Kyiv and across Europe.
