Washington, April 24 (IANS) US President Donald Trump has slammed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, saying the Ukrainian leader’s statement on Crimea is “very harmful to the Peace Negotiations with Russia”.
This time the Trump-Zelensky clash was over Crimea, with the US President convinced that the region should be considered as Russian territory, while Zelensky refused to agree with him, reiterating that Ukraine will stand firm on its core principles, Xinhua news agency reported.
Trump wrote on Wednesday in a post on Truth Social that “Nobody is asking Zelensky to recognise Crimea as Russian Territory but, if he wants Crimea, why didn’t they fight for it eleven years ago when it was handed over to Russia without a shot being fired?”
“It’s inflammatory statements like Zelensky’s that makes it so difficult to settle this War. He has nothing to boast about,” wrote Trump, adding that “The situation for Ukraine is dire — He can have Peace or, he can fight for another three years before losing the whole Country.”
As negotiators met for the latest round of talks in London, reports suggest that the US proposal that was laid out had two key points in agreement with Moscow’s stand — the first being Kyiv officially recognising Crimea as Russian territory, and the second — that Ukraine can never become a NATO member.
Both these points were rejected by Ukraine, which infuriated President Trump, who had already threatened to withdraw the US from negotiations over Kyiv’s obstinacy.
Trump chided the Ukrainian President 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,” President Trump asserted.
Trump also noted that the statement made by Zelensky would do nothing but prolong the “killing field” and “nobody wants that!”
“We are very close to a Deal, but the man with ‘no cards to play’ should now, finally, GET IT DONE,” he noted.
Zelensky said on Tuesday that Kyiv is prepared to engage in talks in any format once a potential ceasefire with Russia is established, the government-run Ukrinform news agency reported.
But he stressed that Ukraine will not legally recognise the occupation of Crimea by Russia as it contradicts the nation’s Constitution.
The exchange led to President Trump scolding President Zelensky, saying that the US is trying to stop the killing in his country.
“We are very close to a deal” for peace, Trump said, putting the blame on the Ukrainian President for being stubborn, as talks seem to be heading for a stalemate.
President Trump took to social media to post a scathing attack on Ukraine’s Zelensky.
“Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, is boasting on the front page of The Wall Street Journal that, ‘Ukraine will not legally recognise the occupation of Crimea. There’s nothing to talk about here.’ This statement is very harmful to the Peace Negotiations with Russia in that Crimea was lost years ago under the auspices of President Barack Hussein Obama, and is not even a point of discussion,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Russia seized control of the Crimean peninsula in 2014 without any significant resistance from Ukraine at the time.
The move was condemned by several nations, with only a handful of countries recognising Russia’s claim to Crimea.
Meanwhile, echoing Donald Trump’s sentiment, US Vice President J.D. Vance said it was time for Russia and Ukraine to either agree to the US peace proposal “or for the US to walk away from the process entirely”.
Vance said that America’s proposal called for freezing territorial lines “at some level close to where they are today” and a “long-term diplomatic settlement that hopefully will lead to long-term peace”.
He went on to say that “The only way to really stop the killing is for the armies to both put down their weapons, and to freeze this thing”.
In response to the US Vice President, Zelensky’s Chief of Staff, Andriy Yermak, wrote in a post on X that he made it clear to US negotiator Steve Witkoff in London that Ukraine “will stand firm on its core principles during the negotiations” that relate to sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Since taking office in January, Trump has sharply altered the US approach to the Ukraine war.
Instead of punishing moves against Russia like his predecessor Joe Biden, Washington is now pressing Ukraine to agree to a ceasefire, even if it is unacceptable to Kyiv.
The US is seemingly in a hurry to broker a deal — any deal — irrespective of whether it may be a good one for Russia or a good one for Ukraine.
President Trump, who had pledged to “end the Russia-Ukraine war in days”, wants to be seen as a power broker for peace globally.
Meanwhile, ever since Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin’s phone call and Washington’s foreign policy tilt towards Moscow, European nations have scrambled to find ways to support Kyiv, which finds itself staring at an increasingly uncertain future.
–IANS
int/khz