Trump Slams Zelensky for Rejecting Crimea Proposal for Peace

U.S. President Donald Trump castigated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on April 23, after the Ukrainian leader said his country would not legally recognize Russian control over Crimea.

The U.S. government recently presented a proposal to end the ongoing Russia–Ukraine war.

The White House has yet to confirm details of the proposal, but Vice President JD Vance has indicated that the plan would freeze the fighting along the current territorial lines.

That would, in effect, compel Ukraine to cede some of the territory it has lost to Russia.

Speaking at a news conference on April 22, Zelenskyy reiterated his position that Ukraine would not legally recognize Russia’s claims to any territory it has seized from Ukraine since 2014, including the Crimean Peninsula.

Russian forces first took over Crimea in 2014.

The move came amid an upheaval within Ukrainian society, as Russia-friendly former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych fled the country under pressure from a sometimes riotous protest movement.

Russian forces have continued to assert control over other areas of Ukraine since invading the country in 2022.

Zelenskyy denounced talk of giving up territory.

“There’s nothing to talk about here,” he said. “This is against our constitution.”

Trump, taking to his Truth Social platform on April 23, accused the Ukrainian leader of harming peace negotiations with his recent comments.

“Nobody is asking Zelenskyy to recognize 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?” Trump wrote.

The U.S. government has been trying for weeks to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.

At times, members of the Trump administration have said that calls for Ukraine to retake all of the territory it has lost since 2014 are unrealistic.

“It’s inflammatory statements like Zelenskyy’s that makes it so difficult to settle this War,” Trump said in his Truth Social post. “He has nothing to boast about!

“The situation for Ukraine is dire — He can have Peace or, he can fight for another three years before losing the whole Country.”

Just hours after Trump vented his frustrations, Zelenskyy took to social media platform X to again make his case to the public.

The Ukrainian leader shared a screenshot of a declaration issued by the U.S. State Department during Trump’s first term, which states, “The United States reaffirms as policy its refusal to recognize the Kremlin’s claims of sovereignty over territory seized by force in contravention of international law.”

Trump’s Patience ‘Running Very Thin’: White House

This is not the first time a disagreement between Trump and Zelenskyy has spilled out into the open.

A Feb. 28 White House meeting between the two leaders devolved into arguments as Zelenskyy asked for more U.S. aid and expressed doubts about Moscow following through on any peace agreement.

Speaking with reporters on April 23, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt accused Zelenskyy of trying to litigate his disagreements through the press.

“These should be closed-door negotiations,” Leavitt said.

Leavitt reiterated that Trump is not asking Ukraine to recognize Crimea as Russian territory. She also said a negotiated settlement would mean that both sides will “have to walk away a little bit unhappy.”

In March, the U.S. government pitched a 30-day cease-fire. Ukraine voiced support for the proposal. Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed an interest in the plan but stopped short of fully backing it.

The U.S. government came around with a more limited 30-day cease-fire, meant to prevent Ukrainian and Russian forces from continuing to attack certain energy targets.

Implementing this moratorium has proved challenging, as Russia and Ukraine have accused one another of continuing attacks on the energy sector.

Last week, Trump warned that he would stop efforts to mediate a cease-fire if he did not see progress soon.

“The president is frustrated,“ Leavitt said on April 23. ”His patience is running very thin.”

European Leaders Look for Next Steps

Trump’s and Zelenskyy’s public spat came on the same day that the UK foreign ministry was due to host a minister-level meeting of some of Kyiv’s leading international backers to discuss various proposals to settle the Russia–Ukraine war.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was set to attend the London gathering but changed his plans on the evening of April 22.

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the London gathering would move ahead in a downgraded fashion, with foreign ministers from France, Germany, and Ukraine in attendance. Retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine, filled in for Rubio as the U.S. representative at these talks on April 23.

Other European leaders remain wary of undermining Ukraine’s claim to Crimea.

Kaja Kallas, European Union foreign policy chief, said in an interview with AFP on April 22, “Crimea is Ukraine.”

Kallas said the United States has not exhausted every means at its disposal to pressure Russia into a deal, and that it would be a mistake to now recognize a Russian claim to Ukraine as part of a peace deal.

Mark Rutte, NATO secretary general, is scheduled to visit Washington on April 24 and April 25. He plans to meet with Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and national security adviser Mike Waltz.