Ukrainians expressed anxiety about their nation’s future as Volodymyr Zelensky prepared for a meeting with Donald Trump at the White House, appealing to Europe not to abandon their support.

Many citizens voiced their unease over the red-carpet welcome extended to Vladimir Putin in Alaska, worrying that the upcoming discussions in Washington might spell disaster for Ukraine.

Their apprehensions intensified yesterday when Mr. Trump suggested that Ukraine should negotiate a resolution with Putin to end the conflict, pointing out that ‘Russia is a very large power, and Ukraine isn’t.’ Following his statement, he departed for a round of golf.

Kyiv’s allies have welcomed Mr Trump’s efforts but vowed to back Ukraine and tighten sanctions on Russia. European leaders have also been invited to attend tomorrow’s talks.

The red-carpet treatment in Alaska on Friday and the lack of any concrete decisions for Ukraine felt like a betrayal for many who have borne enormous suffering since Russia’s full-scale invasion.

For Oleksandr R, 25, a border guard deployed in Serebryansky Forest in the Luhansk region, watching Putin provoked a visceral reaction. 

He said: ‘It was sickening to see the man responsible for my father’s death – and for the lives of so many comrades on the battlefield, the man who believes bombing children’s hospitals is a way to wage war – greeted with handshakes, smiles and a red carpet by the leader of the free world.

‘To hear them speak about our land – the soil for which so many of us have bled – as though they were two merchants haggling at a bazaar was hard to stomach.

‘We will not sell out, none of us will – from the regular soldier to the top command, I am certain.’

Tens of thousands of Ukrainian servicemen have been killed and wounded while thousands of civilians have died in Russian strikes.

A fifth of the country is under occupation, making normal life impossible.

On Ukrainian social media, doctored images of Putin and Trump walking down a red carpet strewn with dead Ukrainian bodies have been widely shared.

Priest Theodosii Alisov, 29, an abbot of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, said he was ‘terrified’ by the prospect of appeasing the man responsible for more than three years of war in his homeland.

He said: ‘Putin the butcher takes joy in slaughtering thousands of innocents to pursue his deranged ambitions.

‘And to see him listened to as if he were not spouting madness, as if he were rational and his arguments carried weight – that was terrifying. I can only hope Europe takes a principled stand and does not sell us out.’

After urging Ukraine to accept a peace deal with Russia, the US President was yesterday seen waving to the crowd outside the White House as he was driven to Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia.

 Volodymyr Dubovyk, professor of international relations in Odesa, said Mr Zelensky faced a challenging meeting with Mr Trump tomorrow, adding: ‘It’s very difficult for Zelensky, he is staring at a menu of bad options. 

‘Trump might well say: ‘Okay, Volodymyr, why don’t you withdraw? It’s the way to peace, to stop the killing of millions and so on.’

But Halyna, 87, who cannot give her full name out of fear for relatives in her hometown of Mariupol, insisted she backed Mr Trump to secure a deal. 

She said: ‘After Trump’s talks with Putin, I was once again convinced that right now there is no chance for a just victory. 

‘But if this is not stopped now, I don’t know what will happen. Trump is cunning, but smart. I believe he can force Putin into a deal that benefits us.

‘But we also must agree to very, very painful compromises. Otherwise, this will not end well.’ 

Recalling Mariupol, which she was forced to flee in 2022, she said: ‘I’ve already accepted that before I die I will not see my Mariupol again. 

‘That’s why we must save our youth. We will still have time in the future to take back what’s ours. Putin is not forever, and justice always finds its way.’

Olha, who also cannot give her full name for fear of reprisals, said she hoped for peace but feared the occupied territories will be traded away.

She said: ‘The people who remain under occupation, how can they feel? Terrible. My relatives, who are still in the occupied territories, don’t understand what is happening. They don’t see any concrete actions aimed at liberating them, at returning those territories.’

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian military yesterday said it had pushed Russian forces back by more than a mile on part of the Sumy front in northern Ukraine.

The country’s general staff said on Facebook: ‘Ukrainian soldiers continue active combat actions to destroy the enemy and liberate our settlements.’

It added that fighting was raging near the villages of Oleksiivka and Yunakivka, which lie three miles and four miles from the border. Russian troops last week advanced up to six miles in Ukraine’s east.

Servicewoman Maria K, 38, said the resolve of Ukraine’s armed forces was undiminished: ‘We work without days off or holidays. We sleep three, at best four hours a day. We have a war here and we will continue to fight.’