Russia-Ukraine War: India Welcomes Trump-Putin Meet But Is Peace Deal Possible Without Zelenskyy?

US President Donald Trump seems to be leaving no stone unturned when it comes to his bid for the Nobel Peace Prize. First, he claimed to have brokered the India-Pakistan ceasefire, then he called for peace between Thailand and Cambodia and most recently it was the US-mediated Armenia-Azerbaijan peace deal.

In addition to all these, Trump has many times talked about how Russia and Ukraine should end their war, that has been ongoing for over 3 years now. Taking a big step towards achieving the same, the 47^th US President is set to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.

Trump is set to meet his Russian counterpart in the coming week in Alaska. “The highly anticipated meeting between myself, as President of the United States of America, and President Vladimir Putin of Russia will take place next Friday, August 15, 2025, in the Great State of Alaska. Further details to follow,” Trump shared on Truth Social.

Trump-Putin meet: Is a peace deal possible without Zelenskyy?

While Putin and Trump will be meeting in a just few days, there was no was no word on whether Zelenskyy will also be part of the same by Trump. The White House might now be mulling over inviting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Alaska, NBC News reported citing a senior US official and three others.

The official said that the proposal is being discussed, adding that “everyone is very hopeful that would happen.” Commenting on whether the US had officially invited Zelenskyy to Alaska, a senior White House official said, “The President remains open to a trilateral summit with both leaders. Right now, the White House is focusing on planning the bilateral meeting requested by President Putin.”

How Zelenskyy reacted to Trump-Putin’s Alaska meeting?

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy is dismissive of the Trump–Putin meeting and has warned that any negotiations to end Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II must include Kyiv. “Any decisions that are without Ukraine are at the same time decisions against peace. They will not bring anything. These are dead decisions. They will never work,” Zelensky said.

With this, Zelenskyy also rejected any territory swap. After Trump recently said any peace deal may involve “some swapping of territories”, the Ukrainian President stated his countrymen “will not give their land to occupiers”. “The answer to Ukraine’s territorial question is already in the constitution of Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said.

in a message on Telegram early Saturday, he underlined that no one will and no one can deviate from it. Ukrainians will not give their land to the occupier.

What has been India’s reaction to this meeting?

Welcoming the development, the Ministry of External Affairs said India welcomes the understanding between the US and Russia for a meeting. “India welcomes the understanding reached between the United States and the Russian Federation for a meeting in Alaska on 15th August 2025.”

“This meeting holds the promise of bringing to an end the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and opening up the prospects for peace. As Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said on several occasions, “This is not an era of war,” the statement added

European leaders too welcomed the move but stressed on the need to keep pressure on Russia and protect the security interests of Ukraine and Europe as a whole. “We remain committed to the principle that international borders must not be changed by force,” the statement said.

“The current line of contact should be the starting point of negotiations.”