Zelensky tells Trump that Putin is ‘bluffing’ and does not want peace ahead of crunch Ukraine summit
Volodymyr Zelensky has warned Donald Trump and European leaders that Vladimir Putin is “bluffing” over his intentions to end the war, ahead of a crucial summit between the US and Russia on Friday.
The Ukrainian president reiterated that there can be no talk of territorial concessions without his country’s involvement, as both he and European leaders are sidelined from the historic meeting in Anchorage, Alaska.
Following a virtual conference with Zelensky, Trump, German chancellor Friedrich Merz and French president Emmanuel Macron, Sir Keir Starmer said a “viable” chance of reaching a ceasefire in the Ukraine war now exists, but Britain stands ready to “increase pressure” on Moscow if necessary.
It comes as a report in The Times suggests Russia and the US have discussed the Israeli occupation of the West Bank as a potential model for a future settlement between Moscow and Kyiv.
The plan, which is understood to be supported by Trump’s peace envoy Steve Witkoff, would imitate Israel’s rule over Palestinian territory since 1967, with Russia seizing military and economic control of the disputed regions.
During Wednesday’s meeting, Macron said that Trump had been “very clear” in his objective to achieve a ceasefire, and had reiterated that “territorial issues relating to Ukraine will only be negotiated by the Ukrainian president.”
Trump later said that if his meeting with Putin goes well, he would like to have a quick second meeting with Putin, Zelensky, and himself.
He rated the call as a 10, and denied that it was his decision to exclude Zelensky from Friday’s talks.
“If the first one goes okay, we’ll have a quick second one,” Trump told reporters. “I would like to do it almost immediately, and we’ll have a quick second meeting between President Putin and President Zelensky and myself, if they’d like to have me there.”
Meanwhile, Zelensky told Trump and European leaders that “Putin is bluffing – he is trying to push forward along the whole front”.
“Putin is also bluffing saying he doesn’t care about the sanctions and that they’re not working,” he said. “In reality, the sanctions are very effective, and they’re hurting the Russian military economy. Putin doesn’t want peace – he wants to occupy our country”.
In recent days, Russian forces have been closing in on a key territorial grab around the city of Pokrovsk in the Donbas region, which could complicate Ukrainian supply lines to the Donetsk region , where the Kremlin have concentrated their military efforts.
On Tuesday, Zelensky said that Putin has demanded Kyiv’s forces withdraw from Donetsk as part of any potential ceasefire deal, a notion which he strongly rejected.
Reiterating his stance that relinquishing the Donbas region would not be agreed by Ukraine, Zelensky told reporters: “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”.
