Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed the deliberate summit between U.S. President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, warning that any peace deal excluding Kyiv would result in “useless options.”
In an announcement posted to Telegram, Zelenskyy stated Ukraine’s territorial integrity, enshrined in its structure, should be non-negotiable and emphasised that lasting peace should embrace Ukraine’s voice on the desk.
Zelenskyy stated Ukraine “won’t give Russia any awards for what it has finished” and that “Ukrainians won’t give their land to the occupier.”
Bearing on Ukrainian anxieties {that a} direct assembly between Mr. Trump and Putin might marginalize Kyiv and European pursuits, Zelenskyy stated: “Any choices which can be with out Ukraine are on the identical time choices in opposition to peace. They won’t convey something. These are useless choices. They are going to by no means work.”
Mr. Trump and Putin are planning to satisfy in Alaska on Friday, August 15 – a summit that’s seen as a possible breakthrough.
A senior White Home official instructed CBS Information that planning for the summit is fluid and it’s nonetheless potential that Zelenskyy might find yourself being concerned in a roundabout way.
The White Home stated earlier this week that Mr. Trump is open to assembly together with his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts, however Mr. Trump instructed Friday he might begin by assembly simply Putin. He instructed reporters he plans to “begin off with Russia.” Mr. Trump additionally stated he believes “we’ve got a shot at” organizing a trilateral assembly with the Ukrainian and Russian leaders.
In his feedback to reporters, Mr. Trump additionally instructed that any settlement would probably contain “some swapping of territories,” however he gave no particulars.
His announcement that he deliberate to host one among America’s adversaries on U.S. soil broke with expectations that they’d meet in a 3rd nation. The gesture offers Putin validation after the U.S. and its allies had lengthy sought to make him a pariah over his warfare in opposition to Ukraine.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance is assembly with European nationwide safety advisers on Saturday in the UK to debate the Russia-Ukraine warfare, sources instructed CBS Information. The assembly will happen on the Chevening Home in Kent, the place Vance is vacationing together with his household.
The assembly, stated to be on the request of the U.S., will embrace discussions on the subsequent steps in Mr. Trump’s push for peace in Ukraine.
Ukrainian officers had beforehand instructed the Related Press privately that Kyiv could be amenable to a peace deal that might de facto acknowledge Ukraine’s incapacity to regain misplaced territories militarily.
The summit could be the primary face-to-face assembly between Putin and an American chief since former President Joe Biden met together with his Russian counterpart in Switzerland in June 2021, eight months earlier than Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
“It appears fully logical for our delegation to fly throughout the Bering Strait merely, and for such an vital and anticipated summit of the leaders of the 2 nations to be held in Alaska,” Putin’s overseas affairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov, stated Saturday in an announcement posted to the Kremlin’s information channel.
Such a summit might show pivotal in a warfare that started greater than three years in the past when Russia invaded its western neighbor and has led to tens of hundreds of deaths, though there isn’t any assure it’s going to cease the preventing since Moscow and Kyiv stay far aside on their circumstances for peace.
Two folks died and 16 have been wounded Saturday when a Russian drone hit a minibus within the suburbs of the Ukrainian metropolis of Kherson, regional Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin stated. Two others died after a Russian drone struck their automotive within the Zaporizhzhia area, in response to regional Gov. Ivan Fedorov.
Ukraine’s air power stated Saturday it intercepted 16 of the 47 Russian drones launched in a single day, whereas 31 drones hit targets throughout 15 totally different areas. It additionally stated it shot down one of many two missiles Russia deployed.
In the meantime, Russia’s Protection Ministry stated its air defenses shot down 97 Ukrainian drones over Russia and the Black Sea in a single day into Saturday, and 21 extra on Saturday morning.
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