Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has not been invited to attend next week’s summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and United States President Donald Trump in Alaska.
Trump announced on Friday that he would meet Putin on August 15, in Alaska. Hours after the announcement, several outlets reported that Zelenskyy might still take part in some form, with a senior White House official telling the planning was “still fluid” and that Zelenskyy’s involvement remained possible.
However, no invitation has been extended to the Ukrainian leader so far. The White House is still considering inviting him but is currently prioritising arrangements for a bilateral meeting, at Russia’s request.
Putin has said he will not rule out a meeting with Zelenskyy, though the Kremlin has stressed that the conditions for such talks have not yet been met.
Trump has suggested that the upcoming negotiations with Putin could involve “some swapping of territories to the betterment of both.” On Saturday, Zelenskyy rejected any such land-swap proposals, citing constitutional limitations in Ukraine.
Given the strained relationship between Trump and Zelenskyy after their tense Oval Office meeting earlier this year, the Ukrainian leader’s refusal to consider territorial concessions could risk potential backlash from Trump, who has previously described him as difficult to negotiate with.
Russian officials have repeatedly stated that any peace deal must address what they consider to be the root causes of the conflict and reflect the current realities on the ground.
This includes the status of Crimea, as well as the Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions, which joined Russia following referendums in 2022.
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