Trump accuses Zelenskyy of postponing Russia's ceasefire, extending the “field of murder” – National
U.S. President Donald Trump accused Volodymyr Zelenskyy of postponing the possibility of a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia, believing that he could end the war if the Ukrainian president agreed to formally hand over Crimea to Russia as part of a proposed peace deal.
“No one asked Zelenskyy to recognize Crimea as Russian territory, but if he wanted Crimea, why didn’t they fight for it when they didn’t shoot it eleven years ago?” The president wrote the truth in a lengthy post on Wednesday Social.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy should hand over Crimea to Russia to secure a ceasefire deal, Donald Trump said in a Truth Social Post Wednesday, April 23.
Donald Trump/Society of Truth
Russian troops annexed the Crimean Peninsula during the Ukrainian Revolution in February 2014.
The power vacuum created by the uprising came after former Ukrainian President Yanukovych failed to sign Ukraine's agreement more closely with the EU, but chose to strengthen ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin, providing Russia with Russia's opportunity. In just two months, Putin declared it Russian territory.
The region's location brings Russia into numerous marine routes to the Southern Atlantic and Indian Oceans.
It is also home to valuable energy supplies, including offshore oil and gas stores in the Black Sea; the invasion has given Russia the opportunity to gain some of these important assets.
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Emily Ferris, a researcher at the Royal United Services Institute, explained in a video on the Imperial War Museum website that controlling Crimea is also a political move and “an effort to engage in any Western integration with Ukraine”, adding that it was Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 202222.
Zelenskyy closed the concept of Ukraine on Tuesday as part of any agreement.
“There's nothing to talk about – this is our land, the land of the Ukrainian people,” Zelenskyy said, telling the media on Wednesday: “Stop the killing is mission number one.”
His initial rebuttal came a day ahead of high-level talks held in London by European and Ukrainian officials after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.
Trump's Ukrainian envoy Keith Kellogg attended London speeches at Rubio and Witkoff.
The BBC reported that the U.S. State Department blamed logistical complications for the last-minute cancellation, but it was clear that the decision made the British Foreign Office increasingly more foreign affairs.
American diplomats turn their attention to Moscow, which will meet Putin for the fourth time to end the war's urgency.
On Wednesday afternoon, U.S. Vice President JD Vance spoke to the media on the airport apron in Agra, India, telling reporters that his country would reject peace talks if Ukraine and Russia fail to reach a consensus on a ceasefire agreement.
“We have made very clear proposals to the Russians and Ukrainians, and it's time for them to say 'yes', or to get the United States out of this process,” Vance said.
“We have done a lot of diplomacy,” he said, explaining that Russia and Ukraine may have to give up some territory to the agreement to reach.
Vice President JD Vance spoke to the media as he headed to Agra, Jaipur, India to leave Agra, India after visiting the Taj Mahal on April 23, 2025.
Kenny Holston/Getty Images
During similar talks in Paris last week, U.S. officials proposed a proposal that included allowing Russia to control occupied Ukrainian territory as part of the deal, the Associated Press said.
Peace negotiations are underway.
– Documents with the Associated Press
& Copy 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
