Ukraine’s future as a sovereign nation was hanging in the balance last night after the superpower summit between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump.
Critics warned that other world leaders were powerless to prevent Volodymyr Zelensky from being caught ‘with his head in a vice’ by the American and Russian leaders when he visits Mr 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 Zelensky 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 Mr Trump, at which he is expected to be told to retreat from the battlegrounds.
