London: Peace talks over Ukraine are at risk of collapse in a deepening dispute over whether to cede land to Russia to end the war, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pushes back at White House pressure to submit to the terms.

Zelensky held out against the Russian demands for the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine in a forceful statement of his nation’s sovereignty, while European leaders strongly backed him in meetings in London and Brussels.

The move appears to put the Ukrainian leader at odds with Donald Trump over the terms of a final deal, just as the US president posted on X a news article that said he was sidelining “impotent Europeans” in the negotiations.

Russian forces have made slow gains in the Donbas in recent weeks and are seeking to make a formal claim to the entire region in a potential peace deal, as well as securing other land and achieving formal recognition of the 2014 annexation of Crimea.

Zelensky denounced those demands in comments to the media after he held talks in London with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

“Of course, Russia insists that we give up territories,” he said.

“We, of course, do not want to give anything away. That is exactly what we are fighting for.

“The Americans today are looking for a compromise. I’ll be frank.”

The New York Times said Zelensky made the remarks in an online chat with journalists. The Washington Post reported the remarks as an “unequivocal declaration” that Ukraine would not surrender land.

“Under our laws, under international law – and under moral law – we have no right to give anything away,” Zelensky said, according to the Post.

Zelensky has often argued that he could not cede land under the Constitution and has said many times that giving up the territory would reward aggression by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who sent forces into Donbas in 2014 and launched a full-scale invasion in 2022.

Ukraine has made no headway in its military attempts to reclaim the territory, however, and is in danger of losing control of towns such as Pokrovsk, where Russian forces have moved through the streets.

Further Russian gains would put Ukrainian forces under severe pressure in the “fortress belt” cities of Slovyansk and Kramatorsk, heightening the danger for large swaths of eastern Ukraine.

Trump’s personal envoy in the peace negotiations, Steve Witkoff, included the transfer of the Donbas, Crimea and other regions to Russia as part of a 28-point peace plan discussed with Russian counterparts last month.

Zelensky and the European leaders rejected the draft plan but have not released an agreed alternative, leading to weeks of conjecture about whether the Russian territorial demands might be part of the ultimate agreement.

Ukrainians fear that a ceasefire that gives Russia the Donbas would set the scene for a subsequent war in which Putin would seek to conquer most of Ukraine, including its capital, Kyiv.

The peace talks have dragged on with no sign of an agreement on the key issue of territory since the 28-point plan was leaked last month and published by news site Axios on November 20.

The leak galvanised Zelensky and European leaders to urge Trump to modify the plan, and he appeared to accept some of their arguments.

The rocky path to a deal included another leak, this time revealing Witkoff praising Putin in a phone call with a Russian negotiator, and a declaration by the Russian leader that he was willing to continue the war against Ukraine and go to war with Europe.

While Trump has often shifted his position on core issues – sometimes praising Ukraine’s ability to win the war and sometimes declaring it has “no cards” and cannot win – his latest comments suggest that he believes the European leaders were in a weak position.

The US president posted on X a New York Post headline that said: “Impotent Europeans can only fume as Trump rightly sidelines them from Ukraine deal”.

He issued the post at 7am on Tuesday, AEDT – as Zelensky shuttled between talks with European leaders.

Trump holds significant leverage over Zelensky, given the importance of US arms supplies to Ukraine, but the cost of the weapons is now covered by European nations. While Trump could seek to ban their export, this might be resisted by the US arms manufacturers.

Zelensky gained symbolic support from European leaders on Monday with his visit to Starmer’s office at Number 10 Downing Street, which included photographs of the four leaders, but no press conference.

Later, the Ukrainian leader landed in Brussels to meet European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, and he released a social media video showing close and friendly talks.

“Our positions have been aligned on all issues,” Zelensky said on X after their talks. “We are acting in a coordinated and constructive manner.”

As usual, however, none of the leaders made any statement on the specific terms of a common position in the peace talks, continuing the doubts about whether a deal might ever be agreed.

“Ukraine’s sovereignty must be respected,” von der Leyen said on X. “Ukraine’s security must be guaranteed, in the long term, as a first line of defence for our Union.”

Key factors in doubt include the territorial claims, the nature of the security guarantee Trump would be prepared to offer Ukraine, the size of the Ukrainian army after a peace deal, the removal of sanctions on Russia and whether Western troops would move into Ukraine as peacekeepers.

The European Union is also trying to overcome objections from Belgium on a loan to Ukraine that would be backed by frozen Russian assets, releasing €185 billion ($325 billion) to help Ukraine buy weapons and air-defence systems.

Zelensky is said to be preparing an alternative peace plan backed by the European leaders and to be put to the White House over the next 24 hours.

Trump and his aides have often spoken about a “land swap” as a way to settle the war, even though Zelensky rejects this.

Putin has insisted on Russian claims to the Donbas, highlighting the obstacles to peace terms with Zelensky.

Russia launched 653 drones and 51 missiles at Ukraine on Friday night and Saturday morning, damaging railways and power systems.

It launched 241 drones and five missiles the following night and into Sunday morning.

As temperatures fall below zero with the onset of winter, the Russian bombardment has weakened the energy grid and increased the power rationing in Kyiv, where residents are told their electricity will go out at set times each day.

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