Donald Trump has harshly criticised Volodymyr Zelensky as London's peace efforts begin to falter.
In the latest exchange between the two leaders, the US president accused his Ukrainian counterpart of “complicating a peaceful resolution” of the conflict with Russia by refusing to recognise Moscow's annexation of Crimea.
The US administration is calling on Kyiv to acknowledge that Russia retains control over the occupied Ukrainian territories and that Moscow has a right to Crimea in the context of peace talks.
Russian President Vladimir Putin's forces, like the Ukrainian military, will also have to withdraw their troops from certain areas.
Mr Trump wrote on the Truth Social platform: “No one is asking Zelensky to recognize Crimea as part of Russia, but if he wants Crimea back, why didn’t they fight for it eleven years ago when it was handed over to Russia without a shot being fired?
“It is precisely these provocative statements by Zelensky that seriously complicate the resolution of this war. He has nothing to be proud of! The situation for Ukraine is catastrophic – he can achieve peace, or he can fight for another three years before he loses the entire country.”
Mr Trump later told reporters in the Oval Office that he “has a deal with Russia” and that he “needs to make a deal with Zelensky.”
He added: “I thought that interacting with Zelensky would be easier, but so far everything is proving more difficult.”
Meanwhile, talks between Britain, France, Germany, the United States and Ukraine were downgraded to technical discussions on Wednesday after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio decided not to attend.
Following the meeting, European countries issued a joint statement saying that participants “reaffirmed their strong support for President Trump's commitment to ending the violence” and called the talks “productive and successful.”
However, the United States did not sign this statement.
In his post on X, Mr Zelensky noted that “emotions were running high today” but spoke positively of the meeting, adding that each side “made a significant contribution” and “respected each other’s positions.”
Attaching a screenshot of the US condemnation of the occupation of Crimea during Trump's first term in 2018, he added: “We are grateful to our partners.
“Ukraine will always act in accordance with its constitution, and we are absolutely confident that our partners, especially the United States, will follow its decisive guidelines.”
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
