Zelenskyy ‘trapped in Trump, Putin vice’

UKRAINE – Ukraine’s future as a sovereign nation is hanging in the balance after the superpower summit between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump.

Critics warned that other world leaders were powerless to prevent Volodymyr Zelenskyy from being caught ‘with his head in a vice’ by the American and Russian leaders when he visits Trump at the White House. 

Diplomatic sources said that Friday’s summit in Alaska had paved the way for a deal in which Ukraine would be expected to surrender large swathes of the Donbas region in the east of the country, including areas currently controlled by Kyiv. 

In return, president Zelenskyy would receive ‘NATO-style’ protection from Western countries for what remained of his territory. He is preparing to fly to Washington for a showdown with Trump, at which he is expected to be told to retreat from the battlegrounds.

Last night, Boris Johnson called for Sir Keir Starmer to lead international efforts to protect Ukraine from being carved up as a result of what he described as a ‘vomit-inducing’ meeting in Alaska. Trump has told Zelenskyy and EU leaders that as part of the negotiations, they would have to drop their demands for a ceasefire: It means Putin can continue his attacks on the country until a deal is signed.

Sir Keir will hold a so-called ‘coalition of the willing’ telephone meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz this afternoon to discuss the role of European peacekeepers in a post-conflict Ukraine.

On Saturday, President Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform: ‘‘The best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a peace agreement, which would end the war and not a mere ceasefire agreement, which often times do not hold up.”

Last night, former British Defence Minister Tobias Ellwood told The Mail on Sunday that he feared Zelenskyy was walking into a trap in the White House. 

He said: “He will be asked to put his head in a vice, with Vladimir Putin pushing from one side and Donald Trump from the other.”