Zelenskiy Rules Out Ceding Territory to Russia, Vows to Pursue Lasting Peace

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has reiterated that Kyiv will not surrender any territory in exchange for peace, but expressed readiness to work with U.S. President Donald Trump toward achieving a genuine and lasting resolution to the war.

“Ukrainians will not give their land to the occupier,” Zelenskiy declared in a post on Telegram and X, describing any agreement reached without Ukraine’s participation as a “dead solution.”

Trump announced on Friday that he will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on August 15, with Zelenskiy apparently excluded from the talks aimed at ending Russia’s invasion, now in its fourth year.

According to sources, senior officials from Ukraine, the U.S., and Europe are expected to convene in the UK ahead of the Trump–Putin summit. Zelenskiy’s remarks mark his first response to reports that discussions between Washington and Moscow may involve a settlement that cements Russia’s control over territories seized during the conflict.

Such a deal would reportedly require Ukraine to relinquish Crimea—illegally annexed by Russia in 2014—and the entire Donbas region, including the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from parts of Luhansk and Donetsk still under Kyiv’s control.

“Any decisions made without Ukraine are, in effect, decisions against peace. They will achieve nothing,” Zelenskiy said. “The answer to Ukraine’s territorial question is already enshrined in our Constitution. No one can, or will, deviate from that.”

He reaffirmed Ukraine’s readiness to work with Trump and “all our partners” to secure “a peace that cannot be dismantled by Moscow’s ambitions.”

Meanwhile, hostilities continue. Russia’s defense ministry reported shooting down 118 Ukrainian drones over its territory overnight, including two targeting Moscow. Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 47 drones and two Iskander missiles, with Ukrainian air defenses intercepting one missile and 16 drones by early morning.