Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s suggestion that a peace deal with Russia could involve ceding Ukrainian territory. In remarks published on 9 August, he said “Ukrainians will not give their land to the occupier,” adding that any settlement compromising the country’s borders is unacceptable. Zelenskyy stressed that the Ukrainian constitution forbids territorial concessions and specifically ruled out withdrawing forces from the eastern Donbas region, where Kyiv still holds about 30 percent of Donetsk—roughly 9,000 square kilometres. Leaving those positions, he warned, would create a springboard for further Russian offensives and would not convince Moscow to halt the war. The Ukrainian leader also insisted that Kyiv be present at any negotiations between Washington and Moscow. Trump is due to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on 15 August in Alaska, but Ukraine has not been invited. Zelenskyy urged the United States and European partners to keep diplomatic and economic pressure on Russia and to link any cease-fire to robust security guarantees for Ukraine.