Zelenskyy rejects Trump’s proposal that Ukraine could swap territories with Russia

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy defiantly declared Saturday that his countrymen “will not give their land to occupiers,” after President Donald Trump suggested that a peace deal would include some “swapping” of territories with Russia.

“The answer to Ukraine’s territorial question is already in the constitution of Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said in a message on Telegram early Saturday. “No one will and no one can deviate from it. Ukrainians will not give their land to the occupier.”

His comments came after Trump announced on Truth Social that a long-awaited meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin had been scheduled for next week in Alaska.

Further details and logistics of the meeting are still unclear and remain very fluid, including whether Zelenskyy will be involved. Trump did not mention the Ukrainian President in the post announcing the meeting with Putin.

Later Friday, at the White House, Trump suggested that there have been talks about Russia and Ukraine potentially “swapping” territory as part of a ceasefire deal. “There’ll be some swapping of territories to the betterment of both and … we’ll be talking about that either later or tomorrow, or whatever.”

A White House official also said Friday that the Russians have provided a list of demands for a potential ceasefire for the war in Ukraine, and the U.S. is trying to get buy-in from Ukrainians and European allies.

But in his message Saturday, Zelenskyy said any decision taken without Ukraine were “decisions against peace,” adding, “They will not achieve anything.”

This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.