Zelensky Reiterates It’s ‘Impossible’ To Recognize Any Decisions From Alaska Summit

For about the third day in a row Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has let it be known that his government will not recognize whatever comes as a result of the Trump-Putin summit set for Alaska this Friday.

“Ukraine will not recognize the decision taken at the Russia-US summit in Alaska without its participation,” Vladimir Zelensky said. This comes after he already said over the weekend any decisions would be ‘stillborn’ upon arrival.

“It is impossible to talk about Ukraine without Ukraine, and no one will recognize that,” he said in fresh Tuesday statements given at a forum. “That’s why this conversation may be important for their [Russia-US] bilateral track, but they cannot decide anything on Ukraine without us. I hope the US president understands that and takes into account,” he said.

A big focuse will indeed be bilateral US-Russia relations, and it appears that for now Russia is more interested that aspect – perhaps knowing full well that the fight will go on as Kiev is unlikely to make significant compromise.

TASS has cited Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov who confirmed that Washington and Moscow are already working on a second face-to-face summit between Trump and Putin, to take place on Russian soil:

According to him, the leaders will focus on discussing options for achieving a long-term peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian conflict. The Kremlin expects the next meeting between Putin and Trump to take place on Russian territory, Ushakov added.

Clearly, even if no firm decisions are reached in Alaska, Putin is in the driver’s seat – and he gains in reputation and on the level of optics just by having the Alaska meeting.

President Trump would not have put the meeting together unless it was evident, at least to national security officials behind the scenes, that Ukraine has no cards to play and is losing on the battlefield.

Trump has since acknolwedged this is a “feel-out meeting” but he’s also once again turned his criticism toward Zelensky:

“I was a little bothered by the fact that Zelensky was saying, ‘I have to get constitutional approval’” to relinquish territory, Mr. Trump told reporters.

“He’s got approval to go into war and kill everybody, but he needs approval to do a land swap?”

There are unconfirmed reports that Kiev could entertain a ‘freeze’ where Russian troops stay in the four eastern territories but without full political ceding and recognition of territory. At this point Putin has less incentive to agree to that, seeing in it a recipe to just restart future war.

Trump: I get along with Zelenslyy but, you know, I disagree with what he has done. Very very severely disagree. This is a war that shouldn’t have happened. pic.twitter.com/l3lKS38BGR

— Acyn (@Acyn) August 11, 2025

Moscow has made it clear that it won’t settle for anything less than a permanent peace solution, which would at the very least involve Ukraine agreeing to never join NATO, and to give up the ‘annexed territories’ including Crimea, on a permanent basis which formally recognizes sovereignty.