Trump chides Zelenskyy over Ukraine's position on Crimea as peace talks falter
Trump scolded Zelensky for not agreeing with him about Crimea being a part of Russia. "Crimea was lost years ago and is not even a point of discussion,” he said
US President Donald Trump has once again blasted his Ukraine counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy, blaming him for prolonging the conflict by refusing to accept Russia’s control over Crimea.
Trump’s frustration came out in the open after the Ukraine delegation made it clear during the latest round of talks in London that it would not agree to losing Crimea and it will not keep away from becoming a NATO member.
Trump blames Zelenskyy
Trump chided Zelenskyy for not agreeing with him about Crimea now being a part of Russia. "Crimea was lost years ago and is not even a point of discussion," Trump asserted.
The president wrote on Truth Social: "Nobody is asking Zelenskyy to recognise Crimea as Russian Territory but, if he wants Crimea, why didn't they fight for it 11 years ago when it was handed over to Russia without a shot being fired?"
President Zelenskyy, who firmly rejected such a proposal, said "Ukraine will not recognise Russia's annexation of Crimea. There's nothing to talk about here. This is against our constitution."
Also read: Zelenskyy: Russia trying to create 'impression of ceasefire' as attacks continue
An infuriated President Trump scolded President Zelenskyy pointing out that the United States is trying to stop the killing in his country.
Russia seized control over the Crimea peninsula in 2014 without any significant resistance from Ukraine. Barack Obama was then the US president. Zelenskyy said he would never agree to giving up Crimea.
Trump made it clear that Zelenskyy’s stand on Crimea was “very harmful to the peace negotiations” aimed at ending the Ukraine conflict, which shows no signs of ending.
“It’s inflammatory statements like Zelenskyy’s that makes it so difficult to settle this war,” he added.
Missile attack on Kyiv
Amid the stalemate, overnight missile and drone attacks by Russia on the Ukraine capital Kyiv have claimed at least nine lives and injured more than 60 people.
Also read: Ukraine wary of Putin’s Easter truce, says will respond to only true ceasefire
Kyiv’s mayor Vitali Klitschko said fires were triggered by falling drone wreckage and that people may be trapped under rubble.
Trump has warned that Zelenskyy's refusal to accept US terms for peace would only prolong the fighting.
Top US officials boycott
The US president said that if the Ukraine leader did not choose peace now, he could risk losing his entire country in three years’ time.
After Zelenskyy remained adamant on the issues of Crimea and NATO, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US special envoy Steve Witkoff abruptly cancelled plans to attend the London talks.
The peace framework being discussed would allow Russia to keep most of the territory it captured over the last decade of war with Ukraine in return for freezing the conflict along current lines.
Peace document
A two-page document presented in London makes no explicit statement about future US military support for Ukraine in the event Russia invades again.
But it leaves open the possibility that other European forces could support Kyiv. It doesn’t put limits on the size of Ukraine’s armed forces, a demand made by Moscow.
Also read: Trump ‘angry’ with Putin for remarks on Zelenskyy, warns of sanctions
“There will be no agreement that hands Russia the stronger foundations it needs to regroup and return with greater violence,” Ukraine’s deputy prime minister Yulia Svyrydenko said on Wednesday.
Trump’s frustration
President Trump has also been frustrated by his failure to translate into reality his earlier boasts that he could end the Ukraine war within two days.
Washington is now putting pressure on Ukraine to agree to a ceasefire, even if it is unacceptable to Kyiv. The US is in a hurry to complete the deal - any deal - irrespective of whether it may be a good one for Russia or a good one for Ukraine.