KHARKIV REGION: Ukrainian soldiers preparing for battle say they have little faith in prospects for a quick ceasefire, and many reject suggestions that Kyiv should give up any of its hard-fought territory to Russia.
Reuters interviewed troops at two training bases in the northeastern Kharkiv region this week, days ahead of a planned meeting in Alaska between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
Ukraine fears the two leaders could use their summit on Friday to dictate terms of peace and force Kyiv to abandon territory, a move Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has flatly rejected.
“Give it away to whom? Give it away for what?” asked the commander of a training base for Ukraine’s 58th Motorized Brigade, whose call sign is Chef.
Trump said on Monday that both Kyiv and Moscow would need to cede land to end the war, now in its fourth year. European Union leaders rallied to Ukraine’s defense on Tuesday, saying it must have the freedom to decide its own future.
