This is the inaugural article of a new regular column from IAPSS Ukraine. The column, “Voices From Ukraine,” highlights real and current experiences from students in Ukraine, living through the ongoing Russian invasion.
UKRAINE – Three and a half years have passed since the start of Russia’s war against Ukraine, and Russian shelling has not ceased. Along the entire front line, both sides are engaged in intense combat operations. It is no secret that Ukrainian society, which has never had any plans to initiate or provoke wars with its neighbors, is in a difficult position. Ukrainians continue to fight; however, they are exhausted by Russian shelling, news of the deaths of soldiers and civilians, air raid alerts, and the constant state of instability, the feeling of danger, and uncertainty about the future of the entire country. Ukraine did not start this war and, without any doubt, seeks to end it. Yet one thing must be clearly understood: the only acceptable option for ending the war — from the standpoint of the Ukrainian Constitution and the principles of international law — is the withdrawal of all Russian troops from the territory they have illegally invaded and the complete cessation of any further aggressive actions against Ukraine. Unfortunately, it seems not everyone understands this.
In recent weeks, both the Ukrainian and International Media space have been stirred by a variety of narratives regarding a possible ceasefire and peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. Let us examine what information has recently been voiced in various media outlets, and what of it actually corresponds to reality.
1. The “Last Warning” from Trump and 10 Days for Russia
As the U.S. president told reporters, special envoy Steve Witkoff would travel to Russia for new negotiations on August 6 or 7. (Vakulina, 2025) Prior to that, U.S. President Donald Trump surprised everyone by toughening his rhetoric toward Russia. In particular, on July 28 in Scotland, Trump announced that he would shorten the deadline for Russia to end its war against Ukraine, saying: “10–12 days from today. There’s no point in waiting,” Trump said. (Macaskill & Shalal, 2025)
Significant details about Witkoff’s visit to Moscow were never published; however, U.S. President Donald Trump reported a “productive meeting” with Kremlin leader Putin. Yet, following subsequent news, one might wonder for whom exactly it was productive.
On August 8, President Trump announced that he would meet with Putin in Alaska on August 15, which stirred the international media space. (Subramanian, 2025) It was on August 8 that Trump’s declared 10-day deadline for the Kremlin expired — after which the U.S. could have imposed secondary sanctions on Russia. However, this did not happen.
2. Meeting in Alaska and Peace Plans: Where Is the Truth?
Nevertheless, the media began a broad discussion of a possible peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. However, Ukrainian reality shatters such discussions into pieces, as on that very day, August 8, Russia launched 108 drones into Ukraine. (Balachuk, 2025) Among themselves, Ukrainians joke bitterly upon hearing explosions, saying it’s “the sound of a peace agreement.”
But once again, the media began to fill with assumptions, warnings, and so-called insider leaks.
On August 8, news emerged that the U.S. and Russia were considering a ceasefire deal in Ukraine that would secure Moscow’s control over Crimea and eastern Donbas, forcing Kyiv to withdraw from parts of Luhansk and Donetsk still under Ukrainian control — this was reported by Bloomberg, citing alleged insider sources. However, there were no official comments from either side. (Mancini et al., 2025) The head of the Ukrainian Center for Countering Disinformation, Andriy Kovalenko, urged people to remain calm, noting that no media outlet possesses any real plans.
(Protz, 2025)
On August 9, The Wall Street Journal ran the headline: “Putin Tells U.S. He’ll Halt War in Exchange for Eastern Ukraine.” According to unnamed sources, Putin allegedly agreed to a full ceasefire if Ukraine withdrew troops from the entire Donetsk region — and that troop withdrawal was a prerequisite for negotiating a final peace plan, with the front line to be frozen. (The Wall Street Journal, 2025)
Doubts about whether Witkoff’s trip to Moscow had really been productive arose when, on August 9, German outlet Bild reported that he had likely misunderstood Putin. According to Bild, the Kremlin had not abandoned its demand — full control over five Ukrainian regions: Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, and Crimea. Special envoy Witkoff allegedly misinterpreted some of Putin’s statements, perceiving them not as demands but as concessions, failing to understand that it was Ukrainians — not Russians — who were expected to withdraw from Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. If this “broken telephone” indeed occurred, we may question the credibility of all the earlier statements. (Röpcke et al., 2025)
On August 10, The Washington Post, citing unnamed sources, reported that the Kremlin had no intention of returning territories in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, where Russian military gains had secured Moscow a valuable land bridge to occupied Crimea, and that Kyiv was offered nothing beyond a ceasefire. (Ebel & Belton, 2025)
That same day, unnamed sources told CNN that President Volodymyr Zelensky might visit Alaska — but there was no official confirmation of such plans, and President Trump himself did not present it as a trilateral meeting. (Holmes et al., 2025)
On August 11, during an official briefing, President Trump twice misspoke, saying he was “flying to Russia” to meet with Putin — even though the meeting was announced to take place in the U.S. state of Alaska. Although it was only a slip of the tongue, it rather vividly added to the preceding media chaos.
3. Weapons in Exchange for Security Guarantees: Why the Meeting in Alaska Might Never Have Happened
History shows that in any event, one should return to its roots. As of 1991, Ukraine possessed the world’s third-largest nuclear arsenal. However, in order to integrate into the international community, Ukraine gave it up by signing the Memorandum on Security Assurances in connection with its accession to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. This international agreement, concluded on December 5, 1994, between Ukraine, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, provided Ukraine with security guarantees in exchange for attaining non-nuclear status. (Ukraine: The Budapest Memorandum of 1994, n.d.)
Under this Memorandum, the signatories were not only to refrain from violating Ukraine’s territorial integrity, but also to provide it with security guarantees and defend it against such violations. Yet no one punished Russia for breaching these obligations in either 2014 or in 2022.
The non-nuclear state of Ukraine, which sought to resolve conflicts solely through peaceful means, was attacked by the nuclear state of Russia — a state directly aided by the nuclear state of North Korea and indirectly supported by the nuclear state of China.
If international law had real force in today’s world, the Budapest Memorandum would be the only possible platform for negotiations between the U.S. and Russia. Moreover, in an ideal world where international law functioned flawlessly, it would have prevented Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
But we live in the real world, and it seems that during the meeting in Alaska, the signatories will probably not even mention this truly fateful document for Ukraine. The rhetorical question remains: if Ukraine’s “security guarantors” fail to fulfill their obligations, should Ukraine fulfill its part?
4. What Is Happening in Ukraine at This Time?
While media outlets and foreign politicians make various statements about possible peace, the average Ukrainian continues to live the way of life imposed by the war Russia started against Ukraine. One need only scroll through a social media feed to see what friends are posting, and it becomes clear that all the above-mentioned media speculations about peace plans “coexist” with volunteer fundraising campaigns for the needs of the Ukrainian army, news about the shelling of civilian cities, black-and-white photographs of fallen soldiers, and reports from commanders
about the situation on the frontline.
While leaders of various countries make serious statements about the terms of a ceasefire, on August 10 at least 20 people were injured in a Russian shelling of a bus station in Zaporizhzhia. (Fenbert, 2025) Hardly the everyday reality of a country on the verge of peace.
President Volodymyr Zelensky outlined Ukraine’s position unambiguously: “The answer to Ukraine’s territorial question is already in the Constitution of Ukraine … Ukrainians will not give their land to the occupier.” (Official Website of the President of Ukraine, 2025)
Ultimately, no matter what is discussed in Alaska on August 15, there are no legal avenues to force Ukraine to cede any territories that belong to its people according to the Constitution. And, to put it in everyday terms — would you be willing to give your neighbor your living room just because he has seized your kitchen and is threatening to take over the whole apartment, killing you in the process? Can you imagine your friends gathering around and urging you to make concessions so that he stops at what he has already taken?
Instead of a Conclusion
Neither Ukrainians nor the international community should have high expectations from the meeting between Putin and Trump, because there can be no constructive outcome in resolving Ukraine’s issues without Ukraine’s participation. Moreover, from the standpoint of international law, the very fact of a U.S. president meeting with the illegitimate leader of Russia — war criminal Vladimir Putin, who cannot visit many countries around the world where he could be arrested — is unprecedented.
Ukrainians have known since the Minsk negotiations of 2015 what “ceasefire” means for Russia – merely a window for provocations, media manipulations, and preparations for a new phase of offensive operations.
So, as a Ukrainian, I can offer you sincere advice. Do not trust the promises of Russia or any other state about security guarantees if these statements are not accompanied by ANY actions that could indicate a genuine desire to stop the war.
No one seems to remember the Budapest Memorandum anymore, under which Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons, and Russia and the United States — whose leaders are meeting in Alaska— pledged to guarantee its security.
Therefore, do not agree to any agreements except those based on your own strength and real ability to defend yourself and your rights. I hope, of course, that you will never need this advice, but if the leaders of big countries conclude agreements that ignore the basic principles of international law and undermine the already fragile world order of the 21st century, there will be little room for optimism.
August 11, 2025
Liubov Koronevska, IAPSS Ukraine President, Bachelor of Political Science
Kyiv, Ukraine
Note: This column reflects the author’s personal opinion and does not necessarily represent the views of the organization.
Reference List
Ebel, F., & Belton, C. (2025, August 10). Russians cheer Putin’s Alaska invitation, envision no concessions on Ukraine. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/08/10/putin-trump-russia-ukraine-summit/
Fenbert, A. (2025, August 10). “This is terror” — Russian bombs hit bus station, university in Zaporizhzhia, injuring at least 20. The Kyiv Independent.
https://kyivindependent.com/russian-bombs-attack-bus-station-university-in-zaporizhzhia-injuring-at-least-12/
Holmes, K., Liptak, K., & Klein, B. (2025, August 10). White House hasn’t ruled out Zelensky being in Alaska during Trump-Putin meeting on Friday. CNN.
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/08/09/politics/white-house-zelensky-trump-putin-meeting
Iryna Balachuk. (2025, August 8). Russia attacks Ukraine with 108 drones, 26 UAVs hit targets. Ukrainska Pravda. https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2025/08/8/7525247/
Macaskill, A., & Shalal, A. (2025, July 28). Trump sets new deadline of 10 or 12 days for Russia to act on Ukraine. Reuters.
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/trump-sets-new-deadline-10-or-12-days-russia-act-ukraine-2025-07-28/
Mancini, D. P., Nardelli, A., & Daryna Krasnolutska. (2025, August 8). US and Russia Plan Truce to Cement Putin’s Gains in Ukraine. Bloomberg.com; Bloomberg.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-08-08/us-and-russia-plan-truce-deal-to-cement-putin-s-gains-in-ukraine
Protz, A. (2025, August 8). Reports of peace terms with Russia are false, says Ukraine’s anti-disinformation chief. Ukrainska Pravda. https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2025/08/8/7525293/
Putin Tells U.S. He’ll Halt War in Exchange for Eastern Ukraine. (2025, August 9). The Wall Street Journal. https://www.wsj.com/world/putin-russia-ukraine-ceasefire-proposal-0021453b
Röpcke, J., Ronzheimer, P., & Piatov, F. (2025, August 9). „Friedlicher Rückzug“: Hat Trumps Mann Putin falsch verstanden? | Politik. bild.de.
https://www.bild.de/politik/ausland-und-internationales/friedlicher-rueckzug-hat-trumps-mann-putin-falsch-verstanden-6895de301174f91cb081eb54
Subramanian, C. (2025, August 9). Trump and Putin to meet in Alaska for Ukraine talks next week. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1dxed639n7o
The Answer to the Ukrainian Territorial Question Already Is in the Constitution of Ukraine, No One Will Deviate From This – and No One Will Be Able To – Address by the President — Official website of the President of Ukraine. (2025). Official Website of the President of Ukraine. https://www.president.gov.ua/en/news/vidpovid-na-ukrayinske-teritorialne-pitannya-ye-vzhe-v-konst99445
Ukraine: The Budapest Memorandum of 1994.(n.d.). Policymemos.hks.harvard.edu. https://policymemos.hks.harvard.edu/links/ukraine-budapest-memorandum-1994
Vakulina, S. (2025, August 4). Trump sends Witkoff to Moscow days before US sanctions hit Russia. Euronews. https://www.euronews.com/2025/08/04/trumps-sends-witkoff-to-moscow-days-before-us-sanctions-hit-russia
