KYIV — Vladimir Putin will try to trick Donald Trump during a meeting between the Russian and American leaders in Alaska this Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday.
“We understand the Russians’ intention to try to deceive America — we will not allow this. I greatly appreciate the determination of President Trump to stop the deaths in war. Many people give their lives every day,” Zelenskyy said.
“But the only root cause of these killings is Putin’s desire to fight and manipulate everyone he comes into contact with. We in Ukraine know Russia well, and that is why Ukrainians have already withstood more than three years of full-scale war,” Zelenskyy added.
The hotly anticipated Alaska summit comes as Trump tries to press Putin to end his all-out war on Ukraine. After talks between Putin and Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow last week, a territorial swap is reported to be on the table — where Russia would keep regions it has captured and also some land it has not yet fully occupied.
Zelenskyy has rejected that idea and is calling for strong U.S. sanctions against Russia. Ukraine’s European allies are pushing for Kyiv’s position to be taken into account during the negotiations in Alaska.
Russian forces continue to attack along the front line, while bombing civilian infrastructure. More than 20 people were wounded in Zaporizhzhia after the Russian army dropped several glide bombs on the local bus station Saturday.
“No deadlines, no expectations from them, work — they do not want to stop the killings. The only thing they are looking for is a way to kill Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said Sunday.
“That is why sanctions are needed, pressure is needed. Power is needed — the power of the United States, first of all, the power of Europe, the power of all the nations of the world that want peace and tranquility in international relations. If Russia does not want to stop the war, then its economy must be stopped,” Zelenskyy added.
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