Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Moscow aims to “deceive America” ahead of next week’s U.S.–Russia talks, vowing Kyiv “will not allow this.” The remark came in his Aug. 10 evening address as Ukraine intensified lobbying to be formally included in the negotiations.
The warning drops days before a planned Trump–Putin summit in Alaska on Aug. 15, where the Kremlin is expected to press long-standing demands and test U.S. resolve. Kyiv and European partners are pushing to secure Ukraine’s place at the table, arguing no deal about Ukraine should be struck without Ukraine.
Zelensky’s team is especially wary of any blueprint that trades land for a ceasefire. Reporting ahead of the talks indicates Washington has floated ideas that could amount to a “territorial swap,” a scenario Kyiv and many EU capitals say would reward aggression and destabilize Europe’s security order.
The battlefield remains volatile: Ukraine says fighting around the eastern city of Pokrovsk is intense, while aid flows—briefly slowed during a U.S. capability review—have begun to resume, according to Kyiv. Those dynamics will shape what leverage each side brings into the room.
European leaders, meanwhile, are pressing for any framework to include robust security guarantees for Ukraine and a path that doesn’t legitimize Russian gains. Kyiv has also urged that Zelensky be invited to Alaska—at minimum for adjacent consultations—so that commitments made by others don’t undercut Ukraine’s sovereignty.
