Zelenskyy says ‘impossible’ to talk about Ukraine without Kyiv

ISTANBUL

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday said it is “impossible” to talk about his country without Kyiv’s involvement, as US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin are set to meet in Alaska later this week.

Putin and Тrump will hold a summit in the US state on Friday to discuss how to end the Ukraine war, in what will be the first face-to-face meeting between sitting Russian and US presidents since the start of the conflict, which is nearing three-and-a-half years.

White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt confirmed Tuesday that the summit will be held in the city of Anchorage.

“As for the talks, they are important at the leadership level in any case. But it is impossible to talk about Ukraine without Ukraine, and no one will accept that,” Zelenskyy, who has not been invited to the meeting, told a youth forum in Kyiv.

Zelenskyy said the forthcoming talks can be important for their bilateral track, but Trump and Putin “cannot decide anything about Ukraine without us.”

“I believe and hope that the president of the United States understands and realizes this,” he added.