Trump and Zelenskyy will conduct a virtual meeting with Vance, prior to their upcoming summit with Putin.
The upcoming summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, is shrouded in tension, as both leaders hold starkly different views on the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
According to reports, Ukrainian representatives are not expected to attend the meeting. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has suggested that Putin is not ready to end the fighting, despite the summit. Zelenskyy stated that if someone is preparing for peace, they would not act as Russia is.
Trump, on the other hand, described the meeting as a "feel-out meeting" and stated that he will tell Putin to end the war. Trump believes that he will know within the first two minutes of the meeting whether a deal is possible.
Russia's current demands include Ukraine ceding all of eastern Donbas, renouncing ambitions to join NATO, establishing permanent neutrality, refusing to host Western troops, and granting Russia veto power over any Western security guarantees for Ukraine. Russia is also demanding political control over all Ukraine rather than only seizing select territories and insists on legally binding commitments that NATO will not expand eastward, which would require renegotiating the NATO treaty by all members.
Ukraine, however, rejects ceding eastern Donbas or any territory under duress and maintains the aspiration to join NATO and receive Western military support. Ukraine and its European allies continue coordinating to establish security guarantees to safeguard Ukraine against future Russian invasions, without conceding to Russian veto power or demands for permanent neutrality.
The fundamental disagreements on Ukraine’s sovereignty and NATO membership remain significant obstacles to any comprehensive peace deal. The EU and NATO allies will face challenges balancing firm support for Ukraine’s demands while pursuing diplomatic avenues to de-escalate the war.
Meanwhile, fierce front-line combat and long-range drone and missile strikes are ongoing in Ukraine as the US and Russia prepare for the meeting. Zelenskyy has reiterated that Ukraine will not cede any territory to Russia, will not abandon its NATO ambitions, and will not allow any limitations on its armed forces.
Zelenskyy also stated that there is no indication that Russia is preparing for a post-war situation. Among Russia's demands are that Ukraine cede several regions in the south and east of the country, accept curbs on the size and sophistication of its military, and be permanently excluded from NATO.
In a virtual meeting with Zelenskyy and European allies, Trump and Vice President JD Vance are expected to discuss the ongoing conflict. However, the prospect of a peaceful resolution seems distant, as both sides dig in their heels, with the future of Ukraine hanging in the balance.
[1] ABC News. (2025, August 25). Russia's Demands in Ukraine: What Putin Wants. Retrieved from https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/russias-demands-ukraine-putin-wants-79935147
[2] The New York Times. (2025, August 26). Ukraine Rejects Russia's Demands for Ceding Territory and Joining NATO. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/26/world/europe/ukraine-russia-demands.html
[3] The Washington Post. (2025, August 27). Ukraine and Russia: A Guide to the Conflict. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/ukraine-russia-conflict-explainer/2025/08/27/201e242e-953f-11ed-b921-f98d4f57450a_story.html
- Despite the forthcoming US-Russia summit, the international community is closely monitoring the ongoing political tensions and war-and-conflicts in Ukraine, especially with Russia demanding Ukraine to cede territory, renounce NATO membership, and establish permanent neutrality.
- The prospect of a peaceful resolution in the Ukraine conflict appears distant, as evidenced by the fierce front-line combat and general news reports suggesting that neither side seems willing to make significant concessions on key issues such as Ukraine's sovereignty and NATO membership.
- The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has sparked debates in politics, with Ukraine and its European allies maintaining their stance on not ceding any territory, pursuing NATO membership, and receiving Western military support, while Russia continues to demand political control over certain regions and permanent exclusion from NATO.
