Trump-Putin Summit Looms as Ukraine Demands Inclusion for “Lasting Peace”

Trump-Putin Summit Looms as Ukraine Demands Inclusion for “Lasting Peace”

The exclusion of Ukraine from direct talks also has implications for President Trump’s broader ambitions of winning the Nobel Peace Prize.

RMN News World Desk
August 9, 2025

Next Friday, August 15, US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are set to meet in Alaska to discuss the future of the war in Ukraine. The meeting, announced by Trump on social media and confirmed by a Kremlin spokesperson, was described as “quite logical” given Alaska’s proximity to Russia. However, the prospect of a ceasefire agreement without Ukraine’s direct involvement has raised significant concerns in Kyiv.

The announcement of the summit came just hours after President Trump had suggested that Ukraine might need to cede territory to end the conflict, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. This suggestion, coupled with Ukraine’s exclusion from the direct ceasefire talks, has led to strong reactions from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

President Zelensky has expressed significant apprehension regarding the upcoming talks, stating that “any decisions that are against us, any decisions that are without Ukraine, are at the same time decisions against peace”. He emphasized that such decisions would be “stillborn” and “unworkable”. Zelensky stressed Ukraine’s readiness for “real decisions that can bring peace” and highlighted the need for “real and genuine peace, peace that people will respect”.

Ukraine is prepared to work with President Trump and all its partners for a “real and, most importantly, lasting peace,” one that “will not collapse because of Moscow’s desires”. However, the current situation sees Ukraine, the “main stakeholder in this peace initiative,” not involved in the ceasefire discussions, raising fears that “the ceasefire terms may not be acceptable to Ukraine”.

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Despite the setting of a “deadline now set for Russia to cease fire,” Russian forces appear to be ignoring it “at least for now”. Recent reports indicate continued aggression, with “over a hundred strike drones” launched overnight, followed by “air bomb strikes, intense assaults on the frontline, and yet more air raid alerts in our cities and communities”. President Zelensky confirmed that “no orders to stop have been given to the Russian army”.

Ukraine is actively communicating with its international partners, including the American side, to “ensure real steps are taken”. There is a shared understanding among partners that “there is a chance to achieve at least a ceasefire, and that everything depends on the right pressure on Russia”.

The exclusion of Ukraine from direct talks also has implications for President Trump’s broader ambitions. Sources suggest that a peace initiative that sidelines Ukraine “will also harm Trump’s ambition to win the Nobel Peace Prize,” which he is reportedly eyeing by stopping armed conflicts globally, including a claimed intervention between India and Pakistan in May 2025.