Donald Trump has said a Ukraine-Russia deal is “very close”, but President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s “inflammatory” remarks about refusing to surrender land are making peace “difficult”.
The US president’s comments come after Zelenskyy on Tuesday rejected the idea of Ukraine surrendering territory to Russia, following a US proposal that would allow Moscow to keep control of occupied Ukrainian land, according to a European official.
“There is nothing to talk about — it is our land, the land of the Ukrainian people,” Zelenskyy said in The Wall Street Journal.
Trump said his Ukrainian counterpart’s insistence he would not recognise Russian ownership of Crimea was making it “difficult to settle” the war.
He wrote on Truth Social: “Volodymyr Zelenskyy is boasting on the front page of The Wall Street Journal… 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.
“Nobody is asking Zelenskyy 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 Zelenskyy’s that makes it so difficult to settle this War… We are very close to a Deal, but the man with “no cards to play” should now, finally, GET IT DONE.”
The US has stepped up pressure on Kyiv to strike a deal, but Ukraine remains firm that it won’t give up Crimea, which has been occupied by Russia since 2014, or parts of eastern Ukraine that were taken following Moscow’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
US Vice President JD Vance also echoed Trump’s arguments, saying on Wednesday that America will “walk away” from negotiations between Ukraine and Russia unless the two warring countries agree to a deal.
Meanwhile, a key meeting with Ukrainian, UK, US and European officials in London aimed at ending the war was downgraded after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio pulled out, citing “logistical issues,” according to a State Department spokesperson.
“We’ve issued a very explicit proposal to both the Russians and Ukrainians, and it’s time for them to either say yes or for the US to walk away from this process,” Vance said on a visit to India.
“We’ve engaged in an extraordinary amount of diplomacy, of on-the-ground work.”
Vance called America’s peace proposal “very fair,” and said it would “freeze the territorial lines at some level close to where they are today,” with both sides having to give up some territory they currently hold. He offered no further details on the proposal.
Trump’s and Vance’s comments have added fresh uncertainty to diplomatic efforts to end the war.
In London, Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Defence Secretary John Healey met their Ukrainian counterparts and are set to meet Keith Kellogg, Donald Trump’s envoy for Ukraine and Russia, in place of Rubio.
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