Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned on Saturday that any cease-fire agreement negotiated without Kyiv’s participation would be a “dead solution,” rejecting suggestions that Ukraine should surrender territory as part of a peace deal. His comments follow U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on 15 August to discuss ending the war. According to people familiar with the talks, Putin has presented Washington with a plan that would require Ukraine to cede control of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions and formally recognise Russia’s annexation of Crimea. Russian negotiators have also signalled a demand for Ukrainian forces to withdraw from Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, moves Zelensky says would reward aggression and violate Ukraine’s constitution. European governments and Kyiv countered the Kremlin offer at an emergency session in Kent, England, attended by U.S. Vice President JD Vance and senior security aides. Their three-point framework insists on a nationwide cease-fire before any further steps, reciprocal rather than unilateral territorial changes, and “ironclad” security guarantees for Ukraine that could include eventual NATO membership. In a joint statement, the leaders of the U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Finland and the European Commission stressed that “the path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine.” A White House official said the Kent meeting made “significant progress” toward Trump’s goal of ending the conflict, and indicated the president is open to converting the Alaska encounter into a trilateral discussion with Zelensky. For now, preparations continue for a bilateral Trump–Putin summit, with European capitals warning the United States not to impose a settlement that Kyiv rejects.