Just three days before the planned US-Russia summit, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky ruled out decisions regarding Ukraine being made at the meeting. "They cannot make any decisions about Ukraine without us,

Trump has touted Friday's summit in Alaska as a chance to get a breakthrough but Zelensky's likely absence from the talks and repeated rejection there can be any land swaps have added to doubts that any genuine diplomatic progress can be made.

A diplomatic scramble unfolded Saturday after President Donald Trump announced he would meet his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, next week in Alaska, as European leaders rushed to understand the terms of the meeting and ensure Ukraine was not being left out of discussions about its future.