Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says President Donald Trump effectively gave Vladimir Putin “what he wanted” during their recent summit in Alaska — a meeting from which Ukraine was excluded.
The bigger picture: Trump faced backlash after the summit for backing away from his earlier demands for a ceasefire from Moscow. The meeting began with pomp and ceremony but ended abruptly, yielding little in the way of concrete results.
Zelensky has repeatedly argued that the world must apply stronger pressure on Putin, who continues to bombard Ukraine. While Trump has at times threatened to take a harder line against Moscow, he has long sought a face-to-face with Putin, though attempts to organize one have often fallen through.
Driving the news: “It’s a pity that Ukraine was not there, because I think that President Trump … gave Putin what he wanted,” Zelensky told ABC’s Martha Raddatz in an interview aired Sunday on This Week.
“He very much wanted to meet with President Trump, with the president of the United States,” Zelensky said. “And I think … Putin got exactly that. And it’s a pity.”
Zelensky added, “Putin doesn’t want to meet with me. He only wants to meet with the U.S. president, to show the world images and video proving he’s on equal footing.” The White House declined to comment when asked by Axios.
Where things stand: Last week, Putin said he was willing to meet Zelensky in Moscow. But Ukrainian officials have made it clear they would consider such a trip far too dangerous for their president.
Zelensky pushed back on the offer, telling Raddatz: “He can come to Kyiv.”
“I can’t go to Moscow when my country is under missiles and daily attacks,” he said. “I cannot go to the capital of this terrorist.”
Zelensky also stressed that Putin can’t be trusted, accusing him of “playing games with the United States.” Still, he said he remains open to talks — just not in Russia.
Catch up fast: During the Alaska summit, Putin reiterated sweeping claims over Ukrainian territory. A source told Axios that while he hinted at discussing potential security guarantees, he floated China — not Western allies — as a possible guarantor.
Earlier this month, Zelensky met with European leaders as well as Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, to discuss those guarantees.
What we’re watching: Zelensky insists that the only way to end the war is for the U.S. and its European allies to ramp up pressure on Putin.
In a recent virtual meeting, Trump pushed responsibility onto European leaders, accusing them of “funding the war” by continuing to purchase Russian oil. Washington has imposed tariffs on India for buying Russian crude but has so far avoided targeting China with similar measures.
Zelensky told Raddatz that the only way to weaken Putin is to strip him of his leverage: “His true weapon isn’t just missiles — it’s energy,” according to axios.
