Putin aims to repeat Crimea playbook but Ukraine won't let him - Zelenskyy

"Contacts with the American side continue almost around the clock, at various levels, and we do not make everything public. Everyone can clearly see Putin's tactics," the president said.

According to Zelenskyy, the Kremlin leader fears sanctions and is doing everything to evade them.

"He wants to trade a pause in the war and killings for the legalization of the occupation of our land. He wants to gain territorial spoils for the second time. He was allowed to take Crimea, and that led to the occupation of Donetsk and Luhansk regions," the Ukrainian President added.

He noted that the Russian president succeeded and even avoided preemptive punishment after amassing forces on Ukraine's borders. This buildup later triggered a full-scale war and further occupation of Ukrainian territory.

"Now Putin wants forgiveness for capturing the south of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, the entire territories of Luhansk, Donetsk, and Crimea. We will not allow Russia a second attempt to divide Ukraine. Knowing Russia — where there is a second, there will be a third," Zelenskyy stressed.

He emphasized that, given this, Ukraine will continue to hold its clear positions firmly.

"We must end the war with a dignified peace, based on a clear, reliable security architecture. Our partners are ready to help us achieve this," he concluded.

Trump's meeting with Putin and the challenges of peace in Ukraine

Last night, US President Donald Trump announced that he will meet with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin next Friday, August 15.

A few hours earlier, Trump spoke to reporters. He said there could be a territory swap between Ukraine and Russia.

The Wall Street Journal reported that during the visit of Trump's Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to Moscow, Putin agreed to a ceasefire on the condition that Ukraine withdraw its troops from the Donetsk region.

However, Bild later reported that Witkoff misunderstood Putin. Specifically, the US envoy claimed Russia agreed to withdraw troops from the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. In reality, Putin meant that the Ukrainian Armed Forces should leave those regions.

In the morning, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded to the reports about Ukraine. He said the country will not give up its territories to Russia and that the territorial issue is settled in the Constitution.

According to The Wall Street Journal, European countries, together with Ukraine, presented their plan to end the war ahead of the Trump-Putin meeting.

The European side rejected Russia's proposal to exchange Ukrainian-controlled parts of the Donetsk region for a ceasefire.