US President Donald Trump blasts Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy for not recognising Russian control of Crimea.
According to CNN, Trump on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, accused Zelenskyy of harming the negotiations, claiming that the deal to end the war was “very close”, but the Ukrainian president’s refusal to accept the US-proposed term “will do nothing but prolong" the conflict.
The Republican president also called Zelenskyy's comments about not accepting Russian control of Crimea “very harmful to the peace negotiations with Russia.”
Trump calls Zelenskyy's statement ‘inflammatory’
Trump, in a post on his social media platform Truth Social, wrote, “It’s inflammatory statements like Zelenskyy’s that make it so difficult to settle this war. He has nothing to boast about! The situation for Ukraine is dire.”
He continued to criticise him and said that Zelenskyy can either have peace or he can fight for another three years before losing the whole country.
This came after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio refused to attend a key meeting of the Ukrainian, UK and European officials in London to end the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
Zelenskyy aims to abide by the Ukrainian constitution
Ukrainian president after the London talks on Wednesday said that “Emotions have run high today.”
Meanwhile, in an indirect response to Trump’s criticism, he vowed, “Ukraine will always act in accordance with its Constitution, and we are absolutely sure that our partners, in particular the USA, will act in line with their strong decisions.”
Notably, Ukraine has long said it will not give up Crimea, a southern peninsula illegally annexed by Russia in 2014.
