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KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — European nations have rallied behind Ukraine, saying peace in the war-torn nation can’t be resolved without Kyiv, ahead of an upcoming meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russia’s Vladimir Putin in Alaska.

Trump said next Friday’s meeting with his Russian counterpart on U.S. soil would focus on ending the war, now in its fourth year.

In response, Zelenskyy thanked European allies in a post on X, writing Sunday: “The end of the war must be fair, and I am grateful to everyone who stands with Ukraine and our people.”

Trump-Putin meeting spikes worries

Saturday’s statement by top European leaders came after the White House confirmed the U.S president was willing to grant Putin the one-on-one meeting Russia has long pushed for, and suggestions from Trump that a peace deal could include “some swapping of territories.” That raised fears that Kyiv may be pressured into giving up land or accepting other curbs on its sovereignty.

A White House official, who spoke on condition of anonymity as they aren’t allowed to speak publicly, told The Associated Press that Trump remained open to a trilateral summit with both the Russian and Ukrainian leaders, but for now, he will have a bilateral meeting requested by Putin.

Meanwhile, U.S. Vice President JD Vance met Saturday with top European and Ukrainian officials at the British Foreign Secretary’s weekend residence to discuss how to end the war.

Trump previously said he would meet with Putin regardless of whether the Russian leader agreed to meet with Zelenskyy.

The Trump-Putin meeting may prove pivotal in a war that began when Russia invaded its western neighbor and has led to tens of thousands of deaths, although there’s no guarantee it will stop the fighting since Moscow and Kyiv remain far apart on their conditions for peace.

Calls for a lasting peace deal

Saturday’s statement, signed by the president of the European Union and leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Finland and the UK, stressed the need for a “just and lasting peace” for Kyiv, including “robust and credible” security guarantees.

“Ukraine has the freedom of choice over its own destiny. Meaningful negotiations can only take place in the context of a ceasefire or reduction of hostilities,” the statement said.

“The path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine. We remain committed to the principle that international borders must not be changed by force,” the Europeans added.

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday that a good deal would mean preventing an emboldened Russia, and aggressors elsewhere, from trying to once again redraw borders by force.

A Trump ally and Russia hawk, Graham nevertheless said that “you can’t end a war without talking.”

“I do hope that Zelenskyy can be part of the process. I have every confidence in the world that (President Trump) is going to go to meet Putin from a position of strength, that he’s going to look out for Europe and Ukrainian needs to end this war honorably,” he said.

He argued that “Ukraine is not going to evict every Russian” soldier, but said the West should give Kyiv robust security guarantees, keep some of its forces on the ground “as trip wires,” and keep arming Ukraine “so that Russia will be deterred by the most lethal army on the continent of Europe.”

A fruitless push toward a truce

A monthlong U.S.-led push to achieve a truce in Ukraine has so far proved fruitless, with Kyiv agreeing in principle while the Kremlin has held out for terms more to its liking.

Trump also moved up an ultimatum to impose additional sanctions on Russia and introduce secondary tariffs targeting countries that buy Russian oil if the Kremlin did not move toward a settlement. The deadline was Friday. The White House did not answer questions Saturday about possible sanctions.

The Kremlin earlier this week reiterated demands that Ukraine give up territory, abandon its bid to join NATO, and accept limits on its military, in exchange for a withdrawal of Russian troops from the rest of the country. Particularly galling for Kyiv is Moscow’s insistence that it cede pockets of eastern and southern Ukraine the Kremlin claims to have annexed, despite lacking full military control.

Mark Galeotti, a British expert in Russian politics who heads the Mayak Intelligence consultancy, says Moscow’s tactic of encircling towns in eastern Ukraine has brought a string of territorial gains for Russia, and Putin “does not appear to feel under pressure.”

For the Kremlin, “further delaying any more serious U.S. action and the optics of a meeting with the U.S. president will already be wins,” Galeotti argued in an analysis published Sunday by the UK’s Sunday Times newspaper.

Zelenskyy rules out giving up territory

Zelenskyy said Saturday that Ukraine “will not give Russia any awards for what it has done” and that “Ukrainians will not give their land to the occupier.”

Ukrainian officials previously told the AP privately that Kyiv would be amenable to a peace deal that would de facto recognize Ukraine’s inability to regain lost territories militarily. But Zelenskyy on Saturday insisted that formally ceding land was out of the question.

Galeotti argued that any deal that involves Ukraine abandoning territory would be “agonising” and politically dangerous for Zelenskyy.

Andriy Yermak, a top aide to Zelenskyy, noted on Sunday that Kyiv will strive to boost its position ahead of the planned Trump-Putin meeting.

“Ahead lies an important week of diplomacy,” he said.

Pushing for sanctions

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Sunday that European leaders are “intensively preparing” ahead of the Alaska summit, while they “hope and expect” that Zelenskyy will be invited.

Merz told Germany’s public broadcaster ARD that he has for weeks been encouraging Washington to toughen sanctions against Russia, adding that “Putin only acts under pressure.”

Mikhail Kasyanov, Putin’s first prime minister and later a political opponent, similarly told the BBC Sunday that the Kremlin would be more willing to negotiate seriously and make some concessions when sanctions have further strained Russia’s economy.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Sunday praised Washington for taking steps such as allowing more military equipment to flow to Ukraine and imposing secondary sanctions on India for purchasing Russian oil, saying Trump “clearly is putting pressure on Putin.”

“Next Friday will be important because it will be about testing Putin — how serious he is — on bringing this terrible war to an end,” Rutte said in an interview with ABC’s “This Week.”

___

Associated Press writers Michelle L. Price in Washington, D.C., Danica Kirka in London, and Jamey Keaten in Geneva contributed to this report.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — European nations have rallied behind Ukraine, saying peace in the war-torn nation can’t be resolved without Kyiv, ahead of an upcoming meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russia’s Vladimir Putin in Alaska.

Trump said next Friday’s meeting with his Russian counterpart on U.S. soil would focus on ending the war, now in its fourth year.

In response, Zelenskyy thanked European allies in a post on X, writing Sunday: “The end of the war must be fair, and I am grateful to everyone who stands with Ukraine and our people.”

Trump-Putin meeting spikes worries

Saturday’s statement by top European leaders came after the White House confirmed the U.S president was willing to grant Putin the one-on-one meeting Russia has long pushed for, and suggestions from Trump that a peace deal could include “some swapping of territories.” That raised fears that Kyiv may be pressured into giving up land or accepting other curbs on its sovereignty.

A White House official, who spoke on condition of anonymity as they aren’t allowed to speak publicly, told The Associated Press that Trump remained open to a trilateral summit with both the Russian and Ukrainian leaders, but for now, he will have a bilateral meeting requested by Putin.

Meanwhile, U.S. Vice President JD Vance met Saturday with top European and Ukrainian officials at the British Foreign Secretary’s weekend residence to discuss how to end the war.

Trump previously said he would meet with Putin regardless of whether the Russian leader agreed to meet with Zelenskyy.

The Trump-Putin meeting may prove pivotal in a war that began when Russia invaded its western neighbor and has led to tens of thousands of deaths, although there’s no guarantee it will stop the fighting since Moscow and Kyiv remain far apart on their conditions for peace.

Calls for a lasting peace deal

Saturday’s statement, signed by the president of the European Union and leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Finland and the UK, stressed the need for a “just and lasting peace” for Kyiv, including “robust and credible” security guarantees.

“Ukraine has the freedom of choice over its own destiny. Meaningful negotiations can only take place in the context of a ceasefire or reduction of hostilities,” the statement said.

“The path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine. We remain committed to the principle that international borders must not be changed by force,” the Europeans added.

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday that a good deal would mean preventing an emboldened Russia, and aggressors elsewhere, from trying to once again redraw borders by force.

A Trump ally and Russia hawk, Graham nevertheless said that “you can’t end a war without talking.”

“I do hope that Zelenskyy can be part of the process. I have every confidence in the world that (President Trump) is going to go to meet Putin from a position of strength, that he’s going to look out for Europe and Ukrainian needs to end this war honorably,” he said.

He argued that “Ukraine is not going to evict every Russian” soldier, but said the West should give Kyiv robust security guarantees, keep some of its forces on the ground “as trip wires,” and keep arming Ukraine “so that Russia will be deterred by the most lethal army on the continent of Europe.”

A fruitless push toward a truce

A monthlong U.S.-led push to achieve a truce in Ukraine has so far proved fruitless, with Kyiv agreeing in principle while the Kremlin has held out for terms more to its liking.

Trump also moved up an ultimatum to impose additional sanctions on Russia and introduce secondary tariffs targeting countries that buy Russian oil if the Kremlin did not move toward a settlement. The deadline was Friday. The White House did not answer questions Saturday about possible sanctions.

The Kremlin earlier this week reiterated demands that Ukraine give up territory, abandon its bid to join NATO, and accept limits on its military, in exchange for a withdrawal of Russian troops from the rest of the country. Particularly galling for Kyiv is Moscow’s insistence that it cede pockets of eastern and southern Ukraine the Kremlin claims to have annexed, despite lacking full military control.

Mark Galeotti, a British expert in Russian politics who heads the Mayak Intelligence consultancy, says Moscow’s tactic of encircling towns in eastern Ukraine has brought a string of territorial gains for Russia, and Putin “does not appear to feel under pressure.”

For the Kremlin, “further delaying any more serious U.S. action and the optics of a meeting with the U.S. president will already be wins,” Galeotti argued in an analysis published Sunday by the UK’s Sunday Times newspaper.

Zelenskyy rules out giving up territory

Zelenskyy said Saturday that Ukraine “will not give Russia any awards for what it has done” and that “Ukrainians will not give their land to the occupier.”

Ukrainian officials previously told the AP privately that Kyiv would be amenable to a peace deal that would de facto recognize Ukraine’s inability to regain lost territories militarily. But Zelenskyy on Saturday insisted that formally ceding land was out of the question.

Galeotti argued that any deal that involves Ukraine abandoning territory would be “agonising” and politically dangerous for Zelenskyy.

Andriy Yermak, a top aide to Zelenskyy, noted on Sunday that Kyiv will strive to boost its position ahead of the planned Trump-Putin meeting.

“Ahead lies an important week of diplomacy,” he said.

Pushing for sanctions

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Sunday that European leaders are “intensively preparing” ahead of the Alaska summit, while they “hope and expect” that Zelenskyy will be invited.

Merz told Germany’s public broadcaster ARD that he has for weeks been encouraging Washington to toughen sanctions against Russia, adding that “Putin only acts under pressure.”

Mikhail Kasyanov, Putin’s first prime minister and later a political opponent, similarly told the BBC Sunday that the Kremlin would be more willing to negotiate seriously and make some concessions when sanctions have further strained Russia’s economy.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Sunday praised Washington for taking steps such as allowing more military equipment to flow to Ukraine and imposing secondary sanctions on India for purchasing Russian oil, saying Trump “clearly is putting pressure on Putin.”

“Next Friday will be important because it will be about testing Putin — how serious he is — on bringing this terrible war to an end,” Rutte said in an interview with ABC’s “This Week.”

___

Associated Press writers Michelle L. Price in Washington, D.C., Danica Kirka in London, and Jamey Keaten in Geneva contributed to this report.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — European nations have rallied behind Ukraine, saying peace in the war-torn nation can’t be resolved without Kyiv, ahead of an upcoming meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russia’s Vladimir Putin in Alaska.

Trump said next Friday’s meeting with his Russian counterpart on U.S. soil would focus on ending the war, now in its fourth year.

In response, Zelenskyy thanked European allies in a post on X, writing Sunday: “The end of the war must be fair, and I am grateful to everyone who stands with Ukraine and our people.”

Trump-Putin meeting spikes worries

Saturday’s statement by top European leaders came after the White House confirmed the U.S president was willing to grant Putin the one-on-one meeting Russia has long pushed for, and suggestions from Trump that a peace deal could include “some swapping of territories.” That raised fears that Kyiv may be pressured into giving up land or accepting other curbs on its sovereignty.

A White House official, who spoke on condition of anonymity as they aren’t allowed to speak publicly, told The Associated Press that Trump remained open to a trilateral summit with both the Russian and Ukrainian leaders, but for now, he will have a bilateral meeting requested by Putin.

Meanwhile, U.S. Vice President JD Vance met Saturday with top European and Ukrainian officials at the British Foreign Secretary’s weekend residence to discuss how to end the war.

Trump previously said he would meet with Putin regardless of whether the Russian leader agreed to meet with Zelenskyy.

The Trump-Putin meeting may prove pivotal in a war that began when Russia invaded its western neighbor and has led to tens of thousands of deaths, although there’s no guarantee it will stop the fighting since Moscow and Kyiv remain far apart on their conditions for peace.

Calls for a lasting peace deal

Saturday’s statement, signed by the president of the European Union and leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Finland and the UK, stressed the need for a “just and lasting peace” for Kyiv, including “robust and credible” security guarantees.

“Ukraine has the freedom of choice over its own destiny. Meaningful negotiations can only take place in the context of a ceasefire or reduction of hostilities,” the statement said.

“The path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine. We remain committed to the principle that international borders must not be changed by force,” the Europeans added.

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday that a good deal would mean preventing an emboldened Russia, and aggressors elsewhere, from trying to once again redraw borders by force.

A Trump ally and Russia hawk, Graham nevertheless said that “you can’t end a war without talking.”

“I do hope that Zelenskyy can be part of the process. I have every confidence in the world that (President Trump) is going to go to meet Putin from a position of strength, that he’s going to look out for Europe and Ukrainian needs to end this war honorably,” he said.

He argued that “Ukraine is not going to evict every Russian” soldier, but said the West should give Kyiv robust security guarantees, keep some of its forces on the ground “as trip wires,” and keep arming Ukraine “so that Russia will be deterred by the most lethal army on the continent of Europe.”

A fruitless push toward a truce

A monthlong U.S.-led push to achieve a truce in Ukraine has so far proved fruitless, with Kyiv agreeing in principle while the Kremlin has held out for terms more to its liking.

Trump also moved up an ultimatum to impose additional sanctions on Russia and introduce secondary tariffs targeting countries that buy Russian oil if the Kremlin did not move toward a settlement. The deadline was Friday. The White House did not answer questions Saturday about possible sanctions.

The Kremlin earlier this week reiterated demands that Ukraine give up territory, abandon its bid to join NATO, and accept limits on its military, in exchange for a withdrawal of Russian troops from the rest of the country. Particularly galling for Kyiv is Moscow’s insistence that it cede pockets of eastern and southern Ukraine the Kremlin claims to have annexed, despite lacking full military control.

Mark Galeotti, a British expert in Russian politics who heads the Mayak Intelligence consultancy, says Moscow’s tactic of encircling towns in eastern Ukraine has brought a string of territorial gains for Russia, and Putin “does not appear to feel under pressure.”

For the Kremlin, “further delaying any more serious U.S. action and the optics of a meeting with the U.S. president will already be wins,” Galeotti argued in an analysis published Sunday by the UK’s Sunday Times newspaper.

Zelenskyy rules out giving up territory

Zelenskyy said Saturday that Ukraine “will not give Russia any awards for what it has done” and that “Ukrainians will not give their land to the occupier.”

Ukrainian officials previously told the AP privately that Kyiv would be amenable to a peace deal that would de facto recognize Ukraine’s inability to regain lost territories militarily. But Zelenskyy on Saturday insisted that formally ceding land was out of the question.

Galeotti argued that any deal that involves Ukraine abandoning territory would be “agonising” and politically dangerous for Zelenskyy.

Andriy Yermak, a top aide to Zelenskyy, noted on Sunday that Kyiv will strive to boost its position ahead of the planned Trump-Putin meeting.

“Ahead lies an important week of diplomacy,” he said.

Pushing for sanctions

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Sunday that European leaders are “intensively preparing” ahead of the Alaska summit, while they “hope and expect” that Zelenskyy will be invited.

Merz told Germany’s public broadcaster ARD that he has for weeks been encouraging Washington to toughen sanctions against Russia, adding that “Putin only acts under pressure.”

Mikhail Kasyanov, Putin’s first prime minister and later a political opponent, similarly told the BBC Sunday that the Kremlin would be more willing to negotiate seriously and make some concessions when sanctions have further strained Russia’s economy.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Sunday praised Washington for taking steps such as allowing more military equipment to flow to Ukraine and imposing secondary sanctions on India for purchasing Russian oil, saying Trump “clearly is putting pressure on Putin.”

“Next Friday will be important because it will be about testing Putin — how serious he is — on bringing this terrible war to an end,” Rutte said in an interview with ABC’s “This Week.”

___

Associated Press writers Michelle L. Price in Washington, D.C., Danica Kirka in London, and Jamey Keaten in Geneva contributed to this report.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — European nations have rallied behind Ukraine, saying peace in the war-torn nation can’t be resolved without Kyiv, ahead of an upcoming meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russia’s Vladimir Putin in Alaska.

Trump said next Friday’s meeting with his Russian counterpart on U.S. soil would focus on ending the war, now in its fourth year.

In response, Zelenskyy thanked European allies in a post on X, writing Sunday: “The end of the war must be fair, and I am grateful to everyone who stands with Ukraine and our people.”

Trump-Putin meeting spikes worries

Saturday’s statement by top European leaders came after the White House confirmed the U.S president was willing to grant Putin the one-on-one meeting Russia has long pushed for, and suggestions from Trump that a peace deal could include “some swapping of territories.” That raised fears that Kyiv may be pressured into giving up land or accepting other curbs on its sovereignty.

A White House official, who spoke on condition of anonymity as they aren’t allowed to speak publicly, told The Associated Press that Trump remained open to a trilateral summit with both the Russian and Ukrainian leaders, but for now, he will have a bilateral meeting requested by Putin.

Meanwhile, U.S. Vice President JD Vance met Saturday with top European and Ukrainian officials at the British Foreign Secretary’s weekend residence to discuss how to end the war.

Trump previously said he would meet with Putin regardless of whether the Russian leader agreed to meet with Zelenskyy.

The Trump-Putin meeting may prove pivotal in a war that began when Russia invaded its western neighbor and has led to tens of thousands of deaths, although there’s no guarantee it will stop the fighting since Moscow and Kyiv remain far apart on their conditions for peace.

Calls for a lasting peace deal

Saturday’s statement, signed by the president of the European Union and leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Finland and the UK, stressed the need for a “just and lasting peace” for Kyiv, including “robust and credible” security guarantees.

“Ukraine has the freedom of choice over its own destiny. Meaningful negotiations can only take place in the context of a ceasefire or reduction of hostilities,” the statement said.

“The path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine. We remain committed to the principle that international borders must not be changed by force,” the Europeans added.

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday that a good deal would mean preventing an emboldened Russia, and aggressors elsewhere, from trying to once again redraw borders by force.

A Trump ally and Russia hawk, Graham nevertheless said that “you can’t end a war without talking.”

“I do hope that Zelenskyy can be part of the process. I have every confidence in the world that (President Trump) is going to go to meet Putin from a position of strength, that he’s going to look out for Europe and Ukrainian needs to end this war honorably,” he said.

He argued that “Ukraine is not going to evict every Russian” soldier, but said the West should give Kyiv robust security guarantees, keep some of its forces on the ground “as trip wires,” and keep arming Ukraine “so that Russia will be deterred by the most lethal army on the continent of Europe.”

A fruitless push toward a truce

A monthlong U.S.-led push to achieve a truce in Ukraine has so far proved fruitless, with Kyiv agreeing in principle while the Kremlin has held out for terms more to its liking.

Trump also moved up an ultimatum to impose additional sanctions on Russia and introduce secondary tariffs targeting countries that buy Russian oil if the Kremlin did not move toward a settlement. The deadline was Friday. The White House did not answer questions Saturday about possible sanctions.

The Kremlin earlier this week reiterated demands that Ukraine give up territory, abandon its bid to join NATO, and accept limits on its military, in exchange for a withdrawal of Russian troops from the rest of the country. Particularly galling for Kyiv is Moscow’s insistence that it cede pockets of eastern and southern Ukraine the Kremlin claims to have annexed, despite lacking full military control.

Mark Galeotti, a British expert in Russian politics who heads the Mayak Intelligence consultancy, says Moscow’s tactic of encircling towns in eastern Ukraine has brought a string of territorial gains for Russia, and Putin “does not appear to feel under pressure.”

For the Kremlin, “further delaying any more serious U.S. action and the optics of a meeting with the U.S. president will already be wins,” Galeotti argued in an analysis published Sunday by the UK’s Sunday Times newspaper.

Zelenskyy rules out giving up territory

Zelenskyy said Saturday that Ukraine “will not give Russia any awards for what it has done” and that “Ukrainians will not give their land to the occupier.”

Ukrainian officials previously told the AP privately that Kyiv would be amenable to a peace deal that would de facto recognize Ukraine’s inability to regain lost territories militarily. But Zelenskyy on Saturday insisted that formally ceding land was out of the question.

Galeotti argued that any deal that involves Ukraine abandoning territory would be “agonising” and politically dangerous for Zelenskyy.

Andriy Yermak, a top aide to Zelenskyy, noted on Sunday that Kyiv will strive to boost its position ahead of the planned Trump-Putin meeting.

“Ahead lies an important week of diplomacy,” he said.

Pushing for sanctions

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Sunday that European leaders are “intensively preparing” ahead of the Alaska summit, while they “hope and expect” that Zelenskyy will be invited.

Merz told Germany’s public broadcaster ARD that he has for weeks been encouraging Washington to toughen sanctions against Russia, adding that “Putin only acts under pressure.”

Mikhail Kasyanov, Putin’s first prime minister and later a political opponent, similarly told the BBC Sunday that the Kremlin would be more willing to negotiate seriously and make some concessions when sanctions have further strained Russia’s economy.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Sunday praised Washington for taking steps such as allowing more military equipment to flow to Ukraine and imposing secondary sanctions on India for purchasing Russian oil, saying Trump “clearly is putting pressure on Putin.”

“Next Friday will be important because it will be about testing Putin — how serious he is — on bringing this terrible war to an end,” Rutte said in an interview with ABC’s “This Week.”

___

Associated Press writers Michelle L. Price in Washington, D.C., Danica Kirka in London, and Jamey Keaten in Geneva contributed to this report.

WASHINGTON — Sen. Lindsey Graham said in an interview on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” that Russia and Ukraine would have to swap some territory to end the war, echoing President Donald Trump‘s comments about land exchanges.

“I want to be honest with you, Ukraine is not going to evict every Russian, and Russia is not going to Kyiv, so there will be some land swaps at the end,” Graham, R-S.C., said during Sunday’s interview.

That idea has been a non-starter for Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday that Ukraine would “not give their land to occupiers.” His comments came after Trump said on Friday that “there’ll be some swapping of territories to the betterment of both.”

Graham said land exchanges would only happen “after you have security guarantees to Ukraine to prevent Russia from doing this again.”

“You need to tell Putin what happens if he does it a third time,” Graham said, referring to Russia annexing Crimea in 2014 in addition to Russia’s 2022 invasion.

Asked during the interview whether it was the right move for Trump to hold a summit with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin in Alaska this Friday in an attempt to broker a ceasefire agreement, Graham said he was “very okay” with the meeting, later adding that he hoped Zelenskyy could be involved.

“You can’t end a war without talking. I do hope that Zelenskyy can be part of the process. I’ll leave that up to the White House,” he said.

NBC News previously reported that the White House was considering inviting Zelenskyy to the meeting. Asked on CNN’s “State of the Union” whether Zelenskyy might attend, U.S. ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said, “I certainly think it’s possible.”

“Certainly there can’t be a deal that everybody that’s involved in it doesn’t agree to,” Whitaker said Sunday. Referring to the idea of territorial exchange, he “no big chunks or sections are going to be just given that haven’t been fought for or earned on the battlefield.”

Oksana Markarova, the Ukrainian ambassador to the U.S., said on CBS’ “Face the Nation” that Zelenskyy would be willing to travel to Alaska.

“We have shown that he is ready to be anywhere to advance the agenda of peace,” Markarova said. “So if needed, President Zelenskyy of course will be present at the meetings.”

Markarova also pushed back against the concept of “buffer zones,” calling it an “outdated” idea. She referred to the frontlines of the war as “the frontline between evil and good,” saying that the question is whether that boundary would be on Ukraine’s borders or in Europe.

Graham’s comments on the exchange of territory are a shift from his previous position. In 2023, he said in a statement that “The Ukrainians understand you don’t end wars by giving territory to the aggressor.” The senator also warned at the time that if Putin was not stopped in Ukraine, “he will keep going,” increasing the chance that NATO could be drawn into a war.

Asked on Sunday about those comments, Graham pointed to what he believed should be done to deter Russia from invading Ukraine a third time. He said the U.S. and allies should continue arming Ukraine, put some European forces on the ground, and build up “economic integration.”

If Putin were to invade Ukraine again, he would “be fighting more than just Ukraine, having some European forces on the ground as trip wires,” Graham said.

He also pointed to the split of Germany’s capital after World War II into East and West Berlin and later reunification, noting that the city “existed divided for a very long time.”

In an interview taped before Trump announced the Alaska summit, Vice President JD Vance said a negotiated settlement would probably have elements that neither side likes.

“It’s not going to make anybody super happy,” Vance said. “Both the Russians and the Ukrainians, probably, at the end of the day, are going to be unhappy with it.

In the interview, which aired Sunday, Vance said Trump “needs to force President Putin and President Zelenskyy, really, to sit down, to figure out their differences.”

“The way to peace is to have a decisive leader sit down and force people to come together,” Vance said.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said in an interview on ABC’s “This Week” that Ukraine must be involved in moves to end the war.

“Let’s hope that Friday will be an important step in that process,” he said. “We need Ukraine at the table. It will be about territory. It will be, of course, about security guarantees, but also about the absolute need to acknowledge that Ukraine decides on its own future.”

Rutte said neither Ukraine’s troop levels nor NATO’s presence “on the eastern flank in countries like Latvia, Estonia and Finland” should be limited.

Separately, former national security adviser John Bolton, who served during Trump’s first term, criticized the location of the Trump-Putin summit. “Holding this meeting on American soil” was “legitimizing a pariah leader of a rogue state,” he said on ABC’s “This Week.”

“He’s allowed Putin to get first mover advantage by putting his peace plan on the table first,” Bolton said.

Getty Images

Jesús Méndez/EPA/Shutterstock

Getty Images

Jesús Méndez/EPA/Shutterstock