Zelenskyy slams Trump-Putin Alaska summit, says US gave Russia what it wanted

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticized President Donald Trump’s summit in Alaska with Russian President Vladimir Putin in a new interview, saying it played into Moscow’s hands.

“It’s a pity that Ukraine was not there, because I think President Trump gave Putin what he wanted,” Zelenskyy told ABC’s Martha Raddatz on Sunday.

Trump and Putin met in Alaska on Aug. 15, marking the first time Putin had been invited to the U.S. outside the United Nations since 2007. Trump campaigned on ending the Russia-Ukraine war on the first day of his second term, but forging peace has proven elusive. 

The summit came with high hopes that the two presidents would come to a ceasefire agreement that Ukraine and the European powers could live with after Putin’s invasion. 

PUTIN APPEARS TO BE VISIBLY ANNOYED AS REPORTERS BARRAGE HIM AND TRUMP WITH QUESTIONS

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. (Georgi Paleykov/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Trump had already vowed not to negotiate Ukraine’s borders, saying any land concessions could only be made by Zelenskyy. He endorsed Europe’s calls for Ukrainian security guarantees ahead of the summit. However, despite the elevated expectations for the meeting, Trump and Putin did not come to an agreement. 

“There were many, many points that we agreed on, most of them, I would say, a couple of big ones, that we haven’t quite gotten there, but we made some headway. So, there’s no deal until there’s a deal,” Trump said at a joint press appearance following the summit. 

While not agreeing to a ceasefire, Putin endorsed the idea of Ukrainian security guarantees at the press conference and called the talks “constructive.”

“I agree with President Trump, as he has said today, that naturally, the security of Ukraine should be ensured as well. Naturally, we’re prepared to work on that,” Putin said. 

RUSSIA HITS UKRAINE WITH LARGEST AIR ATTACK OF THE WAR AS TALKS OF PEACE FLICKER

Presidents Volodomyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump have had a strained relationship.  (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

The relationship between Zelenskyy and Trump has been tumultuous since the latter resumed office. It bottomed out in February when Zelenskyy bickered with Trump and Vice President JD Vance in a remarkable, televised exchange in the Oval Office. 

However, in a subsequent Aug. 18 meeting with Trump, the two got along much more favorably. 

When asked if he would take Putin up on an offer to meet in Moscow, Zelenskyy rejected the idea, saying that if the Russian president wanted to meet while the war was still raging, they could do it in Kyiv. 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE

Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump failed to reach a peace deal last month. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“Putin doesn’t want to meet with me, but he wants very much to meet with the President of the United States to show everybody video and images that he is there,” Zelenskyy told Raddatz. 

The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.