For nearly three years of the war in Ukraine, Washington’s rallying cry in backing a fight against a Russian invasion was "no negotiations about Ukraine without Ukraine.”

But when President Donald Trump meets President Vladimir Putin of Russia in Alaska on Friday, the Ukrainians will not be there, barring any last-minute invitation. And Kyiv’s swift rejection of Trump’s declaration that he is already negotiating with Russia over what he vaguely called "land swaps,” with no mention of security guarantees or arms for Ukraine, underscores the risks for the Ukrainians

It also carries political perils for Trump.