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President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are scheduled to meet in Alaska this Friday to discuss potentially ending the war in Ukraine.But concerns are mounting over Ukraine's exclusion from the peace talks. In a joint statement, several European leaders expressed deep concern over excluding Ukraine from the discussion, following Trump's suggestion that a deal could involve "some swapping of territories." His statement raised fears that Ukraine might be pressured to relinquish its land and sovereignty. In response, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejected the idea. "We understand the intention of the Russians to try to deceive America, and we will not allow it."A White House official indicated that Trump remains open to a trilateral summit with both Russia and Ukraine present, but for now, is proceeding with a one-on-one meeting with Putin as a first step towards progress. "I actually don't think it would be that productive. I think fundamentally the President of the United States has to be the one to kind of bring these two together," Vice President JD Vance said in an interview Sunday. "We're of course going to talk to the Ukrainians."But European leaders and Ukrainian allies are still advocating for Zelenskyy to be included in the summit, concerned that the optics of a Putin-Trump meeting might be perceived as a big win for Russia. Analysts suggest that Russia's participation in the summit could be a delay tactic, aiming to postpone more serious U.S. actions while hoping to outlast Ukraine and Western support. One expert noted that Russia has encircled towns in eastern Ukraine and is gaining more territory, demonstrating that Putin "does not appear to feel under pressure." Despite Trump's threat of sanctions on Russia, which he did not enact after his self-imposed deadline last week, experts say it is unlikely that Russia is genuinely interested in reaching a peace deal this week.Watch the latest on the war in Ukraine: