Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he told European leaders and Donald Trump on Wednesday (August 13, 2025) that Russian President Vladimir Putin “is bluffing” ahead of the planned summit with the U.S. in Alaska.

Mr. Putin, Mr. Zelenskyy said in a meeting, “is trying to apply pressure … on all sectors of the Ukrainian front” in an attempt to show that Russia is “capable of occupying all of Ukraine.”

Mr. Putin is also bluffing about sanctions, “as if they do not matter to him and are ineffective. In reality, sanctions are very helpful and are hitting Russia’s war economy hard,” Mr. Zelenskyy said.