Trump to let Ukraine decide on territorial swaps with Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Alaska for talks with US President Donald Trump on Ukraine, Russian Interfax news agency reported on Friday.

Trump said earlier he would let Ukraine to decide whether to engage in territorial swaps with Russia, he said on Friday.

Ukrainians were watching warily, fearful the US leader could sell Kyiv out in his bid for a quick deal with Moscow.

Polls by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology show Ukrainians overwhelmingly want a negotiated settlement to end the fighting, but would also oppose any truce secured with crushing concessions.

"I don't trust Trump. He says one thing today, another tomorrow. The day after tomorrow – another thing, in five days – something else. Therefore, I have no faith in him," 47-year-old accountant Anna Sherstniova said.

Tetiana Harkavenko, a 65-year-old cleaner, predicted the fighting would rage on after the summit. "Nothing good will happen there, because war is war, it will not end. The territories - we're not going to give anything to anyone."

Trump has said any deal to end the war will require territorial concessions by both sides, and that he would like to see a follow-up meeting between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

Liubomyr Yurtsiv, 26, a technician, said he expected little would change after the meeting.

"Most likely, the outcome won't be positive," he added.

Valerii Kucherenko, a 31-year-old war veteran, had a similarly pessimistic take, speaking to Reuters at the pizzeria he set up in the town of Bila Tserkva outside the capital.

Kucherenko lost both his hands to injuries that he sustained while storming a Russian position on the eastern front in 2023.

"I hope for peace on our terms, but we're all adults and understand it's not that simple. Putin and Trump may reach an agreement, but it will not be in our favor. This scenario will not suit us," he said.

"We are Ukrainians, and we will defend our rights to the very end."

Last week, US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff met with Putin in Moscow. While both sides said that the talks went positively, reports emerged that European officials were frustrated and confused by Witkoff’s restating of the events.

The Wall Street Journal reported last week after Witkoff’s meeting, Trump administration officials told European officials that Russia would be willing to freeze the conflict along the front lines in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson. Russia and Ukraine would then negotiate land swaps; Moscow was aiming to gain control of the two regions, but officials who spoke to the WSJ stated they were unclear as to which regions Ukraine could gain.

However, in later calls, Witkoff later walked these statements back. Two European officials familiar with the calls told the WSJ that Russia wanted a two-phase ceasefire: In the first phase, troops would withdraw from Donetsk and freeze the frontlines; in the second, Putin and Trump would negotiate a ceasefire, and would later add Zelensky to the talks.

Reports emerged that the Kremlin chief had bested Witkoff, leaving him confused on both his demands for a ceasefire as well as the state of the conflict.

"Witkoff doesn't know what he's talking about," a Ukrainian government official told BILD.

Initial reports on the meeting noted that there would be a point where Putin and Trump would speak one-on-one without aides present, which would be a massive break from diplomatic form.

Leaders typically have professional note takers present, especially in a summit that was as hastily assembled as the one in Anchorage.

Now, Trump will have two aides - Rubio and Witkoff- along with interpreters. One of the two aides will be able to take notes during the meeting, which could be critical if the Kremlin reverses course.