KYIV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Tuesday (Aug 12) ruled out withdrawing troops from the eastern Donbas region, rejecting what he said was a Russian proposal that would deprive Kyiv of fortified defensive lines and open the way for fresh offensives.
The White House said the Alaska meeting would be “a listening exercise” for Trump, who will meet one-on-one with Putin to gain “a more firm and better understanding” of how the war might be ended. “Only one party that’s involved in this war is going to be present,” spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said, adding that the president has “deep respect for all parties” and may meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in the future.
His comments came as Russian forces made a sudden thrust near the coal mining town of Dobropillia in Donetsk, advancing up to 10km (six miles) north in two prongs in recent days, according to Ukraine’s DeepState war map. The push, one of the most dramatic in the past year, appeared aimed at gaining leverage ahead of a planned meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday.
Zelenskiy said Moscow’s offer was to halt advances in other Ukrainian regions in exchange for Kyiv pulling back from Donbas, which comprises Donetsk and Luhansk. Ukraine still controls about 30 per cent of Donetsk, some 9,000 square kilometres, and holds strategic high ground there.
“Putin will have an open way to both Zaporizhzhia and Dnipro regions. Also for Kharkiv,” Zelenskiy said. “The territorial issue cannot be separated from security guarantees.” He stressed that any talks on territory must follow a ceasefire agreement, with Ukraine directly involved in the negotiations.
Trump has previously suggested an exchange of territory might be part of any peace deal, a proposal Zelenskiy says Ukraine’s constitution prohibits.
