War in Ukraine

Trump attacks Zelensky for refusal to consider Crimea Russian

Ukraine would be opposed to accepting some of the conditions proposed by the US President

23 April 2025

Aggiungi Il Sole 24 Ore
ai preferiti su Google

Il presidente Usa Donald Trump. EPA/JIM LO SCALZO

5' min read

Donald Trump attacks hard on Truth Volodymyr Zelensky for his refusal to recognise Crimea as Russian, calling him a man 'with no cards to play'. "It is inflammatory statements like Zelensky's that make it so difficult to resolve this war. He has nothing to brag about! The situation for Ukraine is disastrous: it can either get peace or it can fight for another three years before losing the whole country," he wrote, arguing that "the statement made by Zelensky today will only prolong the 'killing field'".

Afterwards, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said that Donald Trump's "Frustration" with Voldymy Zelensky "is growing," responding to a question from accompanying columnists who asked if the president would leave if Zelensky didn't sit down at the negotiating table by the end of the day: "Not by the end of the day today, but the president has said that his frustration is growing and he needs this to end."

Meanwhile, US Vice President J.D. Vance said Moscow and Kiev must agree a territorial exchange if they are to reach a truce in Ukraine. "I think the time has come to take, if not the last step, one of the last steps, which is to say, across the board, to say that we will stop the killing and freeze the territorial borders at a level similar to what they are now," he said during a visit to India. "Now, of course, that means that both the Ukrainians and the Russians will have to give up some of the territory they currently hold," he added, reiterating that the US will "withdraw" if there is no understanding. Vance's exit preceded a few hours after a series of three explosions in Moscow triggered a massive fire in the Moskva City business centre. The fire, which spread to a car park of one of the buildings in the complex, claimed no lives: the origin of the fire is under investigation

The US plan

Washington expects today Ukraine's response to a peace agreement that would include recognition of Crimea as part of Russia and unofficial recognition of Russian control over almost all areas occupied by the 2022 invasion, Axios reports, citing sources with direct knowledge of the proposal. The one-page document presented by the US to Ukrainian officials in Paris last week describes this as 'President Trump's final offer', the US news site writes. The White House insists it is ready to abandon mediation if the parties do not reach an agreement soon. One of the points of the US plan to end the conflict with Moscow presented to the parties is that 'Ukraine must refrain from seeking joining NATO', international media write. Ukraine 'can freely join the EU and the European armed forces can guarantee stability, but the US does not guarantee its support', they add.

Yesterday the Financial Times reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin offered to stop the invasion of Ukraine along the current front line, as part of efforts to reach a peace agreement with President Trump.

Summit in London postponed

Thepeace talks in Ukraine with international foreign ministers, scheduled to take place today in London, have been postponed, the British government announced, adding that a meeting with lower-level officials will still be held. "Today's meeting on Ukraine peace talks with foreign ministers has been postponed. Official-level talks will continue," the British Foreign Office told the Afp news agency. The meeting follows last week's talks in Paris when US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was present. And it was Rubio's absence in London that led to the decision for the change of schedule with the European ministers no longer showing up. The London meeting on Ukraine could not take place because the participants were unable to agree on positions on any points, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted by Tass as saying.

Ukraine is reportedly opposed to accepting some of the conditions proposed by President Trump. In the last 24 hours there have been "indications from the Ukrainians" that they would like to negotiate only a 30-day ceasefire today, instead of US President Donald Trump's complex proposed peace plan, Axios wrote. Kiev prefers to "discuss a comprehensive ceasefire first and everything else later", wrote the Washington Post, citing "an official briefed on the situation, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the tense political moment".

Ukrainian conditions

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told reporters on Tuesday that he was open to talks with Russia once a "complete" ceasefire was in place, but that Ukraine would not accept any agreement recognising Moscow's legal control of Crimea. "Ukraine will not legally recognise the occupation of Crimea," the Kiev leader said at a press conference and repeated it today. "There is nothing to talk about here. This is against our Constitution." "We stand by Ukraine" with a commitment to uphold its "sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity. As far as Crimea is concerned, our position is really clear: Crimea is Ukraine," said Guillaume Mercier, spokesman for the European Commission today at a press briefing.

The Wall Street Journal wrote that officials from the United Kingdom and France would be 'open to a scenario' in which Ukraine would 'accept the loss of control of some Russian-occupied territories' in exchange for economic support and security guarantees. The newspaper pointed out that France and the UK would prefer a peace agreement that recognises control of the territories 'only de facto'.

Rubio's behaviour

Secretary of State Marco Rubio attended a meeting on Ukraine last week in Paris, but apparently saw no room for a breakthrough so much so that he spoke of a possible US disengagement. "I look forward to following up on the ongoing discussions in London and rescheduling my trip to the UK in the coming months," Rubio wrote on X today, commenting on his non-attendance at the Ukraine summit in the British capital. "Our team looks forward to holding fruitful and substantive technical meetings with our Ukrainian and British counterparts," he added.

Rubio appears increasingly irritated by the slow pace of the negotiating process, according to a report in the New York Times today. The State Department said Keith Kellogg, Trump's special envoy to Ukraine, will attend the London meeting, but it is unclear whether Steve Witkoff, the president's envoy to Russia, will be there. Witkoff has met Russian President Vladimir Putin three times since February and is expected to visit Moscow again later this week. But Kiev does not appreciate his action, considering it too close to Moscow's position.

Bus attack: 9 dead

Meanwhile nine people were killed in a Russian drone attack on a bus in Marganec, southeastern Ukraine, the governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region announced on Telegram today. "A drone... struck a bus carrying employees of a company. The enemy attack resulted in the death of nine people,' Sergy Lysak wrote, adding that 30 people were injured, but that 'their number continues to increase'. Zelensky wrote in X today, commenting on the attack on a bus reported today by Ukrainians: 'Stopping the killing is the first goal, I am grateful to all those who are focused on this goal and helping us move towards the end of the war'.