Hey South and Southeast Asia crew 👋, major update on the Ukraine front: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has made it crystal clear that any peace deal without Ukraine at the table is useless. With US's Donald Trump and Russia's Vladimir Putin set to meet in Alaska on August 15, Zelenskyy's warning is sending ripples across the globe.
Zelenskyy took to social media saying, "Ukrainians will not give their land to the occupier." He added that "decisions without Ukraine are also decisions against peace," stressing that the war "cannot be ended without us, without Ukraine." In other words, no Ukraine, no deal! 🤷♂️
So far this year, three rounds of direct talks between Russia and Ukraine have fizzled out. And with Putin refusing to sit down with Zelenskyy directly, many are wondering if the upcoming Alaska summit will actually move the needle toward peace. Trump even hinted at some "swapping of territories to the betterment of both," but didn't drop any specifics. 🤐
For us in Asia, this feels as tense as waiting for the next big smartphone launch—everyone's curious, but the specs (or in this case, the peace terms) are still under wraps. One thing's for sure: without Ukraine's buy-in, the summit is just talk. Let's see if Trump and Putin can actually deliver a deal that respects Ukraine's sovereignty and keeps global stability from wobbling. 🌏
Stay tuned for more updates on these high-stakes talks and what they could mean for global peace. ✌️
Reference(s):
Zelenskyy warns on 'decisions without Ukraine' before Trump-Putin meet
cgtn.com
