Trump and Zelensky squabble over Crimea: Ukraine talks appear to be at an impasse

US President Donald Trump criticized Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky's statement that Kyiv does not legally recognize the occupation of Crimea. Zelensky responded by recalling the State Department's Crimean Declaration. with the BBC understands the intricacies of negotiations.

Collage: Instagram @ zelenskiy_official / Twitter @ realDonaldTrump

On his social network Truth Social, Trump wrote that Zelensky's statement "is very damaging to peace talks with Russia, since Crimea was lost many years ago" during the presidency of Barack Obama and "is not up for debate."

Zelensky then responded to Trump in absentia and recalled the Crimean Declaration, signed by former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during Trump's first term. It speaks of the illegal annexation of the peninsula. Read more about the Ukrainian president's statement below.

Recognition of Crimea or withdrawal from negotiations

"Nobody is asking Zelensky to recognize Crimea as Russian territory, but if he wants Crimea, why didn't they fight for it 11 years ago when it was handed over to Russia without a shot being fired?" Trump wrote, adding that "it's inflammatory statements like this that make it harder to resolve the war."

"The situation for Ukraine is dire - Zelensky can have peace or fight for three more years until he loses the entire country. I have nothing in common with Russia, but I have a lot in common with the desire to save an average of five thousand Russian and Ukrainian soldiers a week who are dying for nothing," the American leader noted.

"We are very close to an agreement," Trump added, once again declaring that Zelensky "doesn't have any cards" and must agree to a deal.

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The head of the White House did not specify the terms of this deal.

Earlier, Western media, citing sources, wrote that the proposals within the framework of the American "peace plan" were based on the recognition of Crimea as Russian territory by the United States and the freezing of the current front line. However, they were not officially discussed.

These proposals, according to press reports, were to be discussed on April 23 in London. A meeting of high-ranking representatives of the US, Ukraine, Britain and the EU was initially planned there. At the last moment, the status of the meeting was significantly downgraded, since US State Department Secretary Marco Rubio and Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff did not attend.
As a result, the Ukrainian delegation met with Donald Trump's special representative Keith Kellogg, who arrived in London, and also held talks with British and EU officials.

Rubio's visit to London was allegedly cancelled due to Kyiv's reluctance to discuss territorial concessions. The State Department said that this was a purely technical, not a political decision.

On April 22, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated at a briefing in Kyiv that Ukraine would not make any territorial concessions, and the Ukrainian delegation in London would only discuss the conditions for a complete ceasefire, after which negotiations could be held with Russia.

"Ukraine does not legally recognize the occupation of Crimea, there is nothing to talk about. This is outside our Constitution. This is our territory, the territory of the people of Ukraine," Zelensky said.

Sources said Russian President Vladimir Putin had proposed stopping fighting on the current front line and abandoning claims to areas of four Ukrainian regions partially occupied by Russian troops that remain under Kyiv's control.

According to sources, Putin made the proposal during a recent meeting with Steve Witkoff in St. Petersburg. Witkoff, according to the Kremlin and the White House, was planning to visit Russia again this week.

According to some reports, this was supposed to happen after the meeting in London. Sources claim that the US presidential administration was expecting a response from Ukraine to its "peace plan." According to the publication, the meeting between Witkoff and Putin could take place on April 25.

White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt denied on the evening of April 23 that Trump had issued an ultimatum to Volodymyr Zelensky, demanding that he accept the terms of the American peace plan “by the end of the day,” otherwise the United States would withdraw from the peace talks.

"Not by the end of the day today," Leavitt said.

However, she noted that Trump is becoming increasingly frustrated and “wants this to be over.” She said the Ukrainian president is moving in the “wrong direction” when it comes to peace talks and is “trying to litigate the peace talks in the press, which is unacceptable for a president.”

"His patience is wearing thin," the press secretary concluded, referring to Trump.

On the morning of April 23, US Vice President J.D. Vance confirmed that Washington had made "very open offers" to Russia and Ukraine, saying "the parties have to say 'yes' or the US will pull out of this process."

On April 23, when officials met in London, Ukraine's First Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said Kyiv was "ready for negotiations, but not for capitulation."

"Our people will not accept a frozen conflict disguised as peace. We will never recognize the occupation of Crimea. And if NATO membership is not granted, Ukraine will demand binding security guarantees - strong enough to deter future aggression and clear enough to ensure lasting peace," she stressed.

European Union diplomacy chief Kaja Kallas said on April 22 that it would be a mistake for Washington to consider recognizing annexed Crimea as Russian territory as part of a peace deal.

According to her, the EU will never recognize the peninsula as Russian. "Crimea is Ukraine," Kallas concluded.

According to one of the points of the American plan, which was cited by the media, the United States was ready to recognize Russia's control over the annexed Crimea, as well as the occupied regions of Ukraine, but Washington did not demand such steps from Kyiv and the EU.

How did the negotiations in London end?

The head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Andriy Yermak, reported that the Ukrainian delegation met with Keith Kellogg in London and conveyed its position to him.

“We have stated our position and noted that an immediate, complete and unconditional ceasefire should be the first step towards starting negotiations to achieve a fair and lasting peace,” Yermak wrote on social media.

“I emphasize: under any circumstances, Ukraine will defend its principled positions during negotiations, since they form the basis of its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he added.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov called the talks with Trump's special envoy in London productive:

"We talked about our consistent position on the ceasefire, as well as security guarantees. I think the meeting was very productive and successful."

As Yermak reported earlier, the parties “continued a deep dialogue aimed at achieving a fair and sustainable peace in Ukraine.”

"We are committed to the peace efforts of US President Donald Trump," he wrote in a telegram. "We are grateful to our partners for their strong support and joint desire to stop the war as soon as possible. Russia continues to refuse an unconditional ceasefire - it is delaying the process and trying to manipulate the negotiations."

Yermak concluded his message with the words: “We agreed on further regular consultations with the aim of achieving the main goal – a just peace for Ukraine.”

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said after talks with European and American representatives in London that Kyiv remains ready to cooperate with the United States to achieve peace.

"Ukraine wants the war to end more than anyone else in the world. And we are ready to work together to achieve this goal," Sybiga wrote on social media X.

Late in the evening, Volodymyr Zelensky also commented on the negotiations in London.

"Emotions were running high today. But it's good that five countries met to bring peace closer. Ukraine, the US, Great Britain, France and Germany — the parties expressed their opinions and respected each other's positions," he wrote on social media.

"We are grateful to our partners. Ukraine will always act in accordance with its Constitution. We are absolutely sure that our partners, in particular the United States, intend to act in accordance with its firm decisions," the Ukrainian president summed up and attached a screenshot of the 2018 Crimean Declaration to the post. In this declaration, the US authorities, represented by former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, declare the illegal annexation of Crimea by Russia and refuse to recognize Moscow's control over the peninsula.

The Crimea Declaration was issued on July 25, 2018, ten days after US President Donald Trump met with Vladimir Putin in Helsinki. Pompeo reiterated that the US refused to recognise Moscow’s claims to territory it seized through its invasion of Ukraine in violation of international law, which says no country can change another’s borders by force.

“Together with our allies, partners, and the international community, the United States rejects Russia’s attempt to annex Crimea and commits to upholding this policy until Ukraine’s territorial integrity is restored,” the 2018 Crimea Declaration says.

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