Zelenskyy says that ‘there is no sign’ Putin wants to end the war while Alaska Summit approaches
London – The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, is showing “without signs” that he intends to end the Moscow war against Ukraine, said Wednesday Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as preparations for the summit of the USA Russia on Friday in Alaska.
“We must learn from Ukraine’s experience, our partners, to avoid Russia’s deception,” Zelenskyy said in a statement published on social networks.
“There is no signal now that Russians are preparing to end war,” he added. “Our coordinated efforts and joint steps, of Ukraine, United States, Europe, all countries that want peace, can definitely force Russia to make peace.”
The White House is preparing for what could be a fundamental meeting in Anchorage. The summit of President Donald Trump with Putin will be “an listening exercise,” said White House Secretary, Karoline Leavitt, journalists.
A woman passes through a very damaged residential building after a Russian strike in the city of Bilozerske, Donetsk region of Ukraine, on August 12, 2025.
Genya Savilov/AFP through Getty Images
Leavitt told journalists that a face to face will give Trump “the best indication of how to finish this war and where this is directed.”
“I think this is an listening exercise for the president,” Leavitt said. “Only a part involved in this war will be present. And this is for the president to go and obtain, again, a firmer and better understanding of how we can end this war.”
Although the details of Friday’s meeting are still ironing, Leavitt said it was “part of the plan” that Trump met one by one with Putin.
Rubio Secretary of State and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke on Tuesday as the preparations continued. The state department spokesman Tammy Bruce said about the call that “both parties confirmed their commitment to a successful event.”
Zelenskyy is not expected to attend the event. Zelenskyy told Telegram on Tuesday that his government is “preparing certain steps to mobilize our partners even more” as the Alaska summit is approaching.
Zelenskyy traveled to Berlin, Germany, on Wednesday to meet with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and other European leaders. European governments have expressed their support for Ukraine in the next peace negotiations, urging Trump to facilitate European and Ukrainian participation in any discussion.
In a statement published on Telegram, Zelenskyy said that the Ukrainian side had participated in more than 30 “conversations and consultations with partners” with respect to a possible peace agreement. “Different parts of the world, different visions, but common positions. We must end this war. We must press Russia for honest peace.”
After meeting with European leaders, Zelenskyy will have a virtual call with Trump and vice president JD Vance, they told ABC News, two officials with knowledge of the arrangements.
The long -range attacks of Russia and Ukraine continued during the night until Wednesday.
The Ukraine Air Force said that Russia launched 49 drones and two ballistic missiles made by northern North Korea in the country during the night, of which 32 drones and both missiles were knocked down or suppressed.
In this photograph of the pool distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, the president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, is shown in Moscow on August 12, 2025.
VYACHESLAV PROKOFIEV/POOL/AFP through Getty Images
Meanwhile, Russia’s Ministry of Defense said its forces knocked 63 Ukrainian drones during the night.
Ukraine general personnel said that the objectives of the attacks included the Unca oil bomb station in the Western Bryansk region of Russia. “There was an impact and a large -scale fire” in the installation area, said the general personnel in a statement.
Kelsey Walsh from ABC News, Natalia Kushnir, Anna Sergeeva, Yulia Drozd, Hannah Demissie, Morgan Winsor and Joe Simonetti contributed to this report.
