Trump criticises Zelenskyy for his statements on Crimea: «Why didn't you fight 11 years ago?»

US President Donald Trump has commented on a recent statement by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in which the Ukrainian leader stressed that Ukraine will never legally recognise the annexation of Crimea.

In response, Donald Trump asked a rhetorical question — why the peninsula was not fought for 11 years ago, when, according to the American president, «it was given away without a shot being fired».

In a post on his social media platform, Trump noted that such «inflammatory statements» by Zelenskyy harm the peace process. In his opinion, Crimea was lost during the presidency of Barack Obama, and today this issue is no longer «negotiable».

«No one is asking Zelenskyy to recognise Crimea as Russian territory, but if he wants Crimea, why didn't we fight for it 11 years ago, when it was handed over to Russia without a shot being fired?», the American leader said.

Trump also criticised the position of the Ukrainian president, arguing that the situation for Ukraine is critical and that Zelenskyy «has nothing to be proud of».

According to him, Ukraine is facing a choice — either to agree to peace now or to continue the war for several more years, risking losing everything. He added that he has no connection to Russia, but he is in favour of saving the lives of thousands of soldiers who die every week.

In conclusion, Trump hinted that peace talks are close to being concluded, but «someone who has no leverage should accept the reality» — obviously referring to Zelenskyy.

Meeting in London

On 23 April, representatives of Ukraine, the United Kingdom, France and the United States were scheduled to meet in London to discuss potential options for ending the war in Ukraine.

According to the New York Post, citing anonymous sources among US officials, the United States is seeking a complete cessation of hostilities in the near future.

At the same time, Washington is proposing a de facto freeze on the conflict, so that the occupied regions remain under Russian control. The US is considering recognising Russia's jurisdiction over Crimea as part of a larger peace deal.

Kyiv was expected to provide an official response to these proposals during the London meeting on 23 April. If an agreement was reached between Ukraine, the United States and European countries, the arrangements could be handed over to the Russian side for further negotiations.

However, on the day of the talks, it became known that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio would not arrive in London. This led to the postponement of the meeting between the foreign ministers of the UK, France and Germany. Instead, talks were held at the level of high-level officials of the five countries.

According to Sky News, «the decrease in the level of diplomacy» is due to the increased pressure from Donald Trump's team on Kyiv and Moscow to achieve a ceasefire.

However, it should be noted that during a meeting with international partners in London, the Ukrainian delegation voiced an unchanged position on the settlement of the war. In particular, that Ukraine is open to negotiations, but not on the terms of surrender.

Economy Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko also stated that Ukrainian society will not accept the option of a «frozen conflict» presented as peace, and will not recognise the annexation of Crimea.