View from London: Zelensky is summoned to White House

Pic.: publics

Ukraine's future as a sovereign nation is hanging in the balance after the superpower summit between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump. Europe powerlessly looks on as Ukraine's President is summoned to White House amid fears he'll be forced to surrender land for fragile peace deal.

Critics warned that other world leaders were powerless to prevent Volodymyr Zelensky from being caught 'with his head in a vice' by the American and Russian leaders when he visits Mr Trump at the White House, ‘The Daily Mail’ writes.

Diplomatic sources said that Friday's summit in Alaska had paved the way for a deal in which Ukraine would be expected to surrender large swathes of the Donbas region in the east of the country, including areas currently controlled by Kyiv.

He is preparing to fly to Washington for a showdown with Mr Trump, at which he is expected to be told to retreat from the battlegrounds.

Mr Zelensky is understood to have said that he will refuse to surrender Donetsk, which has been at the centre of conflict with Moscow since 2014, but is more broadly 'open to discussing the issue of territory'.

Mr Trump has told Mr Zelensky and EU leaders that as part of the negotiations they would have to drop their demands for a ceasefire: it means Putin can continue his attacks on the country until a deal is signed.

President Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform: 'The best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a Peace Agreement, which would end the war, and not a mere Ceasefire Agreement, which often times do not hold up.

'President Zelensky will be coming to [Washington] DC, the Oval Office, on Monday afternoon. If all works out, we will then schedule a meeting with president Putin.'

Former British defence minister Tobias Ellwood told ‘The Mail on Sunday’ that he feared Mr Zelensky ‘was walking into a trap in the White House.’

He said: 'He will be asked to put his head in a vice, with Vladimir Putin pushing from one side and Donald Trump from the other.

'The Ukrainian president will be presented with a 'take it or leave it' deal: surrender territory to Russia or face the blame for wrecking peace.

'And if Mr Zelensky refuses, Trump will walk away, declaring that America is done with the talks. '

And there is one more question – is Zelensky still a «president» after his presidential term ended and he diligently avoided the elections?

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