Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday sent a warning to President Trump that Russian President Vladimir Putin is “bluffing” about being open to peace, ahead of a high-stakes summit between the U.S. and Russian leaders in Alaska set for Friday.
Zelensky made his remarks alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in remarks following a video conference call with Trump and other European leaders. They said the call was aimed at setting “the course for this meeting in the right way.”
Trump has floated “land swaps” between Russia and Ukraine as a path to peace, a possibility that Zelensky has resisted, drawing the U.S. president’s ire.
“I stress that any questions concerning our country’s territorial integrity cannot be discussed without regard for our people, for the will of our people and the Ukrainian constitution,” Zelensky said Wednesday.
Merz said Ukraine is willing to discuss territorial questions, but only if a ceasefire is implemented on the current front line, throwing cold water on reported Russian demands for Ukrainian withdrawals as a condition to halt the fighting.
The two leaders spoke to reporters in Berlin. A translation of their remarks was provided by Sky News.
Zelensky said he told Trump to expect Putin to downplay the impact of sanctions on the Russian economy and its military as a way to deter additional penalties. Trump has held off imposing additional sanctions on Russia and blew past a deadline last week to impose sanctions, instead announcing the face-to-face with Putin.
“In reality, the sanctions are very effective, and they’re hurting the Russian military economy,” Zelensky said.
Merz said that Zelensky and European leaders made “clear” to Trump that a ceasefire along the current front lines “needs to be the starting point” for broader peace talks.
Merz said there will be no discussion of legal recognition of Russian-occupied territory, rejecting another major pillar of Moscow’s demands.
Russia occupies an estimated 20 percent of Ukrainian territory but lays claim to four areas it only partially controls. Putin is reportedly calling for Ukraine to retreat from territory in the Donbas region that is not occupied by Russia.
Zelensky said the leaders “briefly talked about” security guarantees for Ukraine and emphasized that Russia should not be given a veto to block Ukraine from joining NATO, another red line for Moscow.
Merz added that Trump “largely” shares these positions.
“So if in Alaska there’s no movement on the Russian side, then the US and the Europeans need to increase the pressure. President Trump knows this position. He shares them largely so I can say we’ve had a very good, constructive talk,” he said.
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