As the U.S.-Russia summit prepares to convene in Anchorage, Alaska, Ukrainian leaders and citizens warn that peace forged without Kyiv’s participation could result in an unfair settlement that favors exhaustion over justice.
As President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is not included in the high-stakes Alaska talks, many Ukrainians fear decisions that could be made without their involvement or input. Zelenskyy warned of such decisions being “stillborn” and unworkable while asserting “we all require genuine peace” whilst noting “real and genuine peace needs to come first for real peace” [Reuters/ABC News +13; Yahoo News/Yahoo News].
Public anxiety over this exclusion has grown further as many fear it could open the way for territorial concessions to Russia at this summit.
European leaders have also voiced strong objections, emphasizing the necessity of including Ukraine at any negotiations for any lasting peace to take root. They have requested any discussions be based on a ceasefire agreement backed by binding security guarantees for Kyiv (The Washington Post/AP News/Financial Times).
Some have proposed including Zelenskyy in a future trilateral meeting if the Alaska summit proves fruitful as the only way to ensure Ukraine’s sovereignty is protected, according to Financial Times, The Guardian, and Times of India reports.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin appears to be seizing on Ukraine’s absence as an opportunity. Vladimir Putin has applauded Trump’s diplomatic overtures prior to their meeting and appears intent on using it to legitimize Russia’s territorial claims and sideline Western allies whilst legitimizing Russia as an economic power.
These developments were reported in both AP News and The Washington Post.
Back home in Ukraine, the emotional toll has been felt strongly by its population. After nearly three years of war, most Ukrainians are exhausted–and deeply uneasy about any peace agreement that formalizes Russia’s gains. Some analysts report rising public support for any cessation of hostilities while others oppose any acknowledgment of Russia’s control over key regions like Donbas, Zaporizhzhia and Crimea by Russian troops. The Washington Post (+1).
Zelenskyy faces mounting political challenges: from Russian advances in Donetsk and receding defensive lines, to domestic protests over reforms seen as undermining anti-corruption measures and domestic uproar about reforms perceived to undermine anti-corruption measures have put pressure on his position, Financial Timesachtig 1 + 1.
Washington is striking a delicate balance. President Trump has described the Alaska meeting with Putin as a “feel-out session”, and hinted at significant consequences if Putin fails to move toward a ceasefire, according to The Guardian and The Washington Post (cited below).
But his earlier remarks regarding land swaps has caused concern among Ukrainians and their allies, The Washington Post reports (+3)
As international diplomacy swirls in Ukraine, many Ukrainians fear their fate may be decided in an absentee room without their participation. Some have drawn comparisons to 1938 Munich Agreement where Czechoslovakia’s fate was sealed without it ever participating. (ABC News).
As they await developments, ordinary Ukrainians find themselves facing an agonising paradox: while desperately wanting peace, they fear that one created by forces without regard for their sovereignty will create further loss and leave them more exposed than ever.