Zelensky rejects 'land swap' proposal ahead of Trump-Putin meeting: Another delay in Russia-Ukraine peace deal?

Amid reports that the Russia-Ukraine peace deal might include some swapping of territory, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky clarified that he won't adhere to any terms on land swap. He emphasised that any peace decisions made without Ukraine's involvement are invalid and will not lead to real peace. He firmly rejected any concessions to Russia, stating that Ukraine will not give up its territory and that the country's borders are defined by its Constitution. Zelensky called for a dignified, lasting peace based on respect and cooperation with international partners, including with US President Donald Trump, but stressed that peace must not be dictated by Moscow.

In a post on X, Zelensky said that Ukrainians will not give away their land to the occupier. "Ukrainians will not give their land to the occupier". He added, “Of course, we will not reward Russia for what it has perpetrated. The Ukrainian people deserve peace. But all partners must understand what a dignified peace is. This war must be brought to an end—and Russia must end it. Russia started it and is dragging it out, ignoring all deadlines, and that is the problem, not something else. The answer to the Ukrainian territorial question is already in the Constitution of Ukraine. No one will deviate from this—and no one will be able to. Ukrainians will not gift their land to the occupier.”

Trump-Putin meeting

It was confirmed on Friday (Aug 8) that Trump will meet with Putin on August 15 to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine. The Kremlin confirmed the summit in an online statement. The two leaders will "focus on discussing options for achieving a long-term peaceful resolution to the Ukrainian crisis," Putin aide Yuri Ushakov said. Trump said that the highly anticipated meeting would take place in Alaska. He also suggested that the deal would include some exchange of land. Earlier, the US had proposed that there should be a tri-party meeting between Putin, Trump and Zelensky. Russian President Putin said he is ready to meet Trump, but expressed his reservations about meeting Zelensky at this stage. Russia also proposed the UAE as the location for the meeting.

Witkoff meets Putin

The breakthrough came after Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff met Russian President Putin on Wednesday (August 6). Kremlin said that Putin held "constructive" talks with Witkoff in Moscow over the Ukraine conflict for over three-hours. In a social media post, Trump said Witkoff held a “highly productive” meeting with Putin and that “great progress was made!” Additionally, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a TV interview that the US now has a better understanding of what conditions would be required for Russia to end the war. “For the first time perhaps since this administration began, we have some concrete examples of the kinds of things that Russia would ask for in order to end the war,” Rubio said in an interview with Fox Business Network’s “Kudlow,” adding that questions of territory would be a key part of any deal.