Will Trump invite Zelenskyy to Alaska? EU leaders say peace talks can’t be decided without Kyiv

With all eyes on the August 15 meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on ending the war in Ukraine, leaders of the European Union and Britain said the "path to peace" in Ukraine cannot be decided without Kyiv.

The leaders issued a joint statement, saying "they remain committed to the principle that international borders must not be changed by force”.

Meanwhile, the ABC News reported on Saturday that the White House is considering inviting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiyy to Alaska for the August 15 meeting.

The report, which quoted a senior US official, added that Zelenskiyy's visit was not finalised and that it's unclear if the Ukrainian leader would ultimately be in Alaska for meetings, but it remained a possibility. 

Trump had said the parties, including Zelenskiyy, were close to a deal that could resolve the three-and-a-half-year conflict. He didn’t give details of the deal, but according to reports, it includes “swapping of certain territories” between Ukraine and Russia.

Kyiv and European leaders fear that the deal would require Ukraine to surrender a significant part of its territory, which, they claim, would eventually encourage Russian aggression. 

"We share the conviction that a diplomatic solution must protect Ukraine's and Europe's vital security interests," they said in the joint statement.

"We agree that these vital interests include the need for robust and credible security guarantees that enable Ukraine to effectively defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity," the statement said.

According to a Wall Street Journal report, the European leaders have presented a counterproposal that included demands that any territory exchange must be reciprocal, with firm security guarantees.

Zelenskyy, meanwhile, has rejected the idea that his country would give up land to end the war with Russia. He also dismissed the planned summit, warning that any negotiations to end Europe's biggest conflict since World War II must include Kyiv.

“Any decisions that are without Ukraine are at the same time decisions against peace. They will not bring anything. These are dead decisions. They will never work,” he said.