Zelensky warns he will not give up land as Trump to meet Putin in Alaska
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Volodymyr Zelensky is prepared to cede Russian-held territory as part of a peace deal, according to reports.
The Ukrainian president told European leaders Ukrainian territory seized by Russia since Vladimir Putin’s illegal February 2022 invasion could be on the table, The Daily Telegraph reported.
But Mr Zelensky urged European countries to push back on any settlement proposed by US president Donald Trump that would see Kyiv handing over land Ukraine still holds.
It could mean Ukraine handing Russia control of the territory it occupies in Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson and Crimea.
Mr Zelensky’s apparent softened stance comes as Mr Trump and Mr Putin are set to meet for crunch talks in Alaska on Friday, which the US president described as a “feel-out meeting”.
“So I'm going in to speak to Vladimir Putin, and I'm going to be telling him, you've got to end this war. You've got to end it,” Mr Trump said.
Asked about Mr Zelensky wanting to attend, Mr Trump added: “I would say he could go, but he’s gone to a lot of meetings, he’s been there for three and a half years and nothing happened.”
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Key Points
Zelensky 'prepared to cede territory' under peace deal'There'll be some land swapping' - Donald Trump Trump describes Putin Alaska talks as 'feel out' meetingUS envoy suggests possible Zelensky role in Trump-Putin Alaska meetingPoland's Tusk says he feels fear and hope before Trump-Putin talks
1 hour ago
Zelensky urges stronger global pressure on Russia
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has urged the international community to intensify pressure on Russia, accusing Vladimir Putin of dragging out the war and ignoring “numerous demands of the world” to stop the killings.
He said there were 137 combat clashes on the front line in the past day alone, with Russia “not reducing pressure and not counting its losses”.
In the Donetsk region’s Pokrovsk direction, Ukraine’s 32nd separate mechanised brigade destroyed 209 Russian troops in the past week, Mr Zelensky said.
Over the same period, Russia launched more than 1,000 air bombs, nearly 1,400 drones and multiple missile strikes on Ukraine, according to Ukraine’s president.
Mr Zelensky said Moscow must face “stronger pressure from the world” and warned against making concessions to the Kremlin.
“Concessions do not convince the killer,” he said.
“Only really strong protection of life stops the killer.”
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'There'll be some land swapping' - Donald Trump on peace talks
Donald Trump has in the past talked about land swaps but neither Russia nor Ukraine has been open to ceding land as part of a peace deal.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, MrTrump said: "There'll be some land swapping going on."
"I know that through Russia and through conversations with everybody, to the good of Ukraine," he said. He said Russia had occupied some "very prime territory" but "we're going to try to get some of that territory back."
(AFP via Getty Images)
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Recap | Russian stocks climb to over three-month high ahead of Putin-Trump talks
Russian stocks climbed to over three-month highs on Monday on hopes that a meeting this week between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin might move Moscow and Kyiv closer to a ceasefire.
Russia's main stock market index MOEX .IMOEX was 1.9% higher by 9.25am at 2,979 points, its strongest mark since 29 April.
Russian markets have been particularly jittery for the past two weeks since Trump set an 8 August deadline for Russia to agree to peace in Ukraine or face tightened sanctions. All eyes are now on the 15 August meeting in Alaska.
The rouble was up 0.4% at 79.65 to the dollar, according to data compiled by LSEG based on over-the-counter quotes, and gained 0.2% to 11.04 against China's yuan, the most traded foreign currency in Russia.
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Recap | Polish PM Tusk says Kyiv must be involved in Ukraine peace talks
Poland's prime minister said on Monday he felt a mixture of fear and hope ahead of a Russia-US summit on the war in Ukraine this week, but added that Washington had pledged to consult its European partners before the talks.
"The American side has promised that it will consult with European partners on its position before the meeting in Alaska," Donald Tusk told a news conference.
"I will wait... for the effects of the meeting between Presidents Trump and Putin - I have many fears and a lot of hope."
He said that Trump's recent comments on the war in Ukraine could give the impression that the US president was increasingly understanding Ukrainian and European arguments regarding the conflict, but that he was not 100% sure that this position would be lasting.
French, Italian, German, Polish, British, Finnish and European Commission leaders on Saturday welcomed Trump's efforts to try to end the war, but emphasised the need to pressure Russia and provide security guarantees for Kyiv.
Tusk said that the joint statement from European leaders showed that they were united in their approach to Ukraine peace talks, adding that Kyiv must be involved in any such discussions.
"For Poland and our partners, it is clear that state borders cannot be changed by force," he said. "Russia's war with Ukraine must not bring benefits to the aggressor."
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