Zelenski excludes the retreat of the Donbass region while the Russians make new progress

President Volodimir Zelenski said Ukraine would reject any Russian proposal to abandon the Donbass region in exchange for an end to fire, warning that it could be used as a springboard for future attacks.

Zelenski spoke before a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday.

Trump insisted that any peace transaction will include “some exchanges of territories” and can see Russia take the entire region of East Donbass and maintain Crimea.

Meanwhile, Moscow’s troops continue their offensive summer, with a sudden thrust near the eastern Ukrainian city of Dobropilia and progressing 10 km (six miles) in a short period of time.

Zelenski admitted that the advance was made in several places, but said Kiev would soon destroy the units involved in the attack.

There were no official details of what Vladimir Putin requires when he met with Donald Trump in Anchorage on Friday.

Donbass – made up of the eastern regions of Luhansk and Donetsk – has been partially occupied by Russia since 2014.

Moscow now owns almost all Luhanski and about 70% of Donetsk, but speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Zelenski has confirmed that Ukraine will reject any Donbass departure proposal.

“If we withdraw from Donbass today – our fortifications, our terrain, the heights we control – we will clearly open a bridge for the Russians to prepare an offensive,” he said.

At his night address on Tuesday, Zelenski also said that Moscow was preparing new offensives in three parts of the front – the attraction, Pokrovsk and Novopavlov.

Last week, Trump said there would be “exchanging territories to improve both Russia and Ukraine – Spree’s concern in Kyiv and across Europe This Moscow can be allowed to rearrange Ukraine’s borders by force.

Currently, Russia controls just under 20% of Ukrainian territory.

The White House on Tuesday said Alaska negotiations would be a “listening exercise” for Trump and added that they were being held and Putin sitting in the same room would give the US president the “best indication of how to put an end to this war.”

The following is Trump, describing the summit as a “meeting with a feeling” on Monday, as if it would reduce the expectations that the Friday meeting could bring Ukraine and Russia to peace.

When he announced the summit last week, Trump sounded positive that the meeting could lead to specific steps to peace.

“I think my intestinal instinct really tells me we have a shot in it,” he said.

But Ukrainian President Zelenski again expressed serious doubts that conversations could lead to a positive result for Kiev, which is excluded from the summit. “I don’t know what they will talk about without us,” he said.

Zelenski turned to Trump’s criticism, but in recent days his dissatisfaction from the side has become apparent, and on Tuesday he said that the choice of Alaska as a place was a “personal victory” for Putin.

“He comes out of isolation because they meet him in the US,” he said.

On Wednesday, Zelenski must join a virtual meeting with Donald Trump, EU leaders, the United Kingdom Prime Minister Sir Kiir Starmer and NATO Chief Mark Ruth.

All countries will try to convince Trump the need not to swing from Putin when the two meet at the quick -organized summit.