THIS is the moment twisted Russian soldiers mock Ukraine by flying an American flag into battle.
Their malicious taunts come as Donald Trump meets Volodymyr Zelensky today for high-stakes peace talks on how to end the bloody war.
Swathes of eastern Ukraine are on the negotiating table as the leaders discuss how to stop the Russian aggression once and for all.
In what seems to be a grim jab at Zelensky, disturbing video footage reveals Russian soldiers flying the US flag alongside the Russian tricolor.
An American M113 armored personnel vehicle, seized from Ukrainian troops, is shown speeding along a road as forces invaded Mala Tokmachka in Ukraine’s Zaporizhia region.
The sick jibe follows an overnight Russian drone strike on Kharkiv which killed five people, including two children, and injured dozens more.
The city near the Russian border was also hit hours earlier by a ballistic missile that wounded at least 11 people, Mayor Igor Terekhov said.
Petr Andryushchenko, head of the Centre for the Study of the Occupation, expressed outrage: “The Russians have already positioned the United States as an ally and are attacking Mala Tokmachka in M113 armored personnel carriers with both Russian and American flags.”
“This encapsulates the culmination of Trump’s absurd claims, all broadcasted on Russia Today’s official propaganda channel. It’s beyond words.”
A local news outlet reported: “The Russians have adorned their armored vehicles with American flags alongside their tricolor, parading throughout the occupied Ukrainian territory.”
“This is all you need to know about the result of the negotiations in Alaska.”
Their bizarre taunts stem from Trump’s perceived support for Vladimir Putin after the pair met in Alaska on Friday to discuss ending the war.
Following a face-to-face summit, circulated plans reportedly involved a surrender deal forcing Ukraine to abandon ambitions for NATO membership and other international agreements.
Negotiations also involved Ukraine potentially ceding control of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions which are, in part, occupied by Russian troops.
Just days after the historic Alaska summit – and six months after his disastrous Oval Office shouting match with Trump – Zelensky will himself sit at the Washington negotiating table to discuss Ukraine’s future.
What do Trump and Zelensky want from the summit?
By Sayan Bose, Foreign News Reporter
FOR Donald Trump, it is a chance to convince Volodymyr Zelensky to agree to a quick peace deal and end bloodshed in Ukraine – something the US president has been chasing ever since he stepped inside the White House.
But the quick deal may not be all good news for Ukraine, as it may have to cede more territory to stop the Russian onslaught in a hasty decision.
Zelensky instead wants to take things slow and get the Russians to stop striking his country initially with a ceasefire so that he can focus on deeper peace talks.
He, too, wants lasting peace in his war-torn nation, but not at the expense of more Ukrainian territory.
The brave Ukrainian leader also wants America to offer security guarantees against future Russian aggression.
Europe, meanwhile, is expected to act as a mediator to facilitate the talks.
It hopes to get a fair deal for Ukraine, one that diminishes the chances of Russia attacking Europe again in the future – which political analysts have warned could happen in the next five to 10 years.
Ukraine and its allies have long feared that Trump could press an agreement favourable to Moscow – which now seems inevitable.
But to what extent? That remains to be seen.
PM Sir Keir Starmer will be in attendance, joined by the leaders of France, Germany and Italy alongside the heads of Nato and the EU in a firm show of solidarity against the Russians.
Zelensky yesterday said territory haggling could only be discussed “by the leaders of Ukraine and Russia” at his expected showdown with Putin.
European leaders including Sir Keir held a video conference ahead of the White House meeting where they warned the Kremlin’s barbarous invasion must not see “borders redrawn by force”.
After her own meeting on Sunday with Mr Zelensky, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said: “These are decisions to be made by Ukraine and Ukraine alone, and these decisions cannot be taken without Ukraine at the table.”
But US officials insisted it was Mr Trump who invited all of the key players as the time had come to finally work out how to police any peace deal with Russia.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters the key issue was, “How do we stop this from happening again?” as he opened the door for a major role for the US in the so-called “Coalition of the Willing” that has vowed to protect Ukraine’s future sovereignty.
