Trump criticises Zelensky’s resistance to “land swap” with Russia ahead of Alaska talks

August 12, 2025

US President Donald Trump on Monday (local time) criticised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky over his refusal to cede territory to Russia, saying he “disagrees very, very severely” with the Ukrainian leader’s stance, according to The Hill.

“I get along with Zelensky, but, you know, I disagree with what he’s done. Very, very severely disagree. This is a war that should have never happened,” Trump told reporters at the White House, referring to Russia’s more than three-year conflict with Ukraine, The Hill reported.

In an effort to broker an end to the ongoing war, Trump announced last week that he will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday. The meeting will reportedly include discussions about some territorial swapping for “the betterment of both” countries, a proposal Zelensky strongly opposed on Saturday, The Hill noted.

“Of course, we will not give Russia any awards for what it has done. The Ukrainian people deserve peace,” Zelensky said, adding that “all partners” must understand peace and that “Ukrainians will not give their land to an occupier.”

Trump expressed frustration with Zelensky’s resistance to territorial concessions. “I was a little bothered by the fact that Zelensky was saying, ‘Well, I have to get constitutional approval.’ I mean, he’s got approval to go into war and kill everybody, but he needs approval to do a land swap — because there’ll be some land swapping going on,” Trump stated, according to The Hill.

The US President emphasised that the land swap would be “for the good of Ukraine,” while acknowledging the complexities involved. “So, it’s good and there’s bad, but it’s very complex, because you have lines that are very uneven, and there’ll be some swapping. There’ll be some changes in land,” he added.

Trump’s remarks come after his special envoy Steve Witkoff met Putin in Moscow last week, during which the Russian leader reportedly proposed a ceasefire that would require Ukraine to withdraw its military from the Donetsk region, allowing Kremlin control alongside Luhansk, The Hill reported.