Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is speaking out against a reported peace proposal from Moscow that will be discussed by President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart at an upcoming summit aimed at ending the war.
While Russian and American officials have yet to divulge any details about the offer, leaks to the media suggested Russia’s President Vladimir Putin would demand that Ukraine cede the entire Donbas region. Moscow’s forces control much of far-eastern Ukraine, and the Kremlin already considers the two Donbas oblasts – Donetsk and Luhansk – to be sovereign Russian territory.
“I am not going to surrender my country because I have no right to do so,” Zelensky said on Tuesday. “If we leave Donbas today, our fortifications, our terrain, the heights we control, we will clearly open a bridgehead for the preparation of a Russian offensive.”
According to recent reporting about the proposed agreement, Kiev would also be asked to recognize Russian control over the territory it holds in southern Ukraine. Previously, Putin called for Zelensky to cede the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts, which link Crimea to the Donbas region along southeastern Ukraine.
Additionally, Ukraine would agree not to join NATO and give up weapons that can be used to attack Russia.
Trump has said that some “land swapping” would be needed to end the war, but has not detailed any proposal.
The Trump-Putin summit scheduled for Friday has caused concern among NATO members and Ukraine, with European states pressuring Trump to invite Zelensky to the meeting. “The path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine,” leaders from France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Britain and Finland, and EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said in a joint statement.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz backed Zelensky’s demand that Ukraine not be forced to cede territory. “We cannot accept in any case that territorial questions are discussed or even decided between Russia and America over the heads of Europeans and Ukrainians. I assume that the American government sees it the same way,” he said.
The Kremlin has stated it is opposed to Zelensky’s involvement in the summit.
The Ukrainian president has also argued that Kiev must be included in any talks. During a nightly address on Tuesday, he said, “I don’t know what they will talk about without us.”
The US is Ukraine’s most important supporter, having supplied at least $175 billion in aid since the Russian invasion, including financial assistance, weapons, intelligence, and training.
