“Crimea will remain with Russia,” American president Donald Trump said on Friday in his latest interview published on Friday in the latest example of the American leader on Ukraine to make concessions to end the Russia war, now in his fourth year.
“Zelenskyy understands it,” said Trump, referring to the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, “and everyone understands that it's been a long time with (Russia).”
Trump does Comments to Time magazine Directed Tuesday but published on Friday.
Earlier this week, Trump accused Zelenskyy of extending the war by resisting negotiations with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
Crimea is a strategic peninsula along the Black Sea in the south of Ukraine.
It was unilaterally seized by Russia in 2014While the American president Barack Obama was in office, years before the large -scale invasion that started at the beginning of 2022.
Until now, Kyiv has rejected any peace agreement which would not include a complete Russian withdrawal from Crimea.
“They have their submarines there for a long time before any period we are talking about, for many years. People speak largely Russian in Crimea,” said Trump. “But it was given by Obama. It was not given by Trump.”
Meanwhile, Russia continued its bombing on Ukraine.
A drone struck an apartment building in the southeast town of Pavlohrad, killing three people and injuring 10 others, officials announced on Friday.
This strike is one day after Trump published a rare reprimand to Russian President Vladimir Putintelling him to “stop” air attacks against Ukraine after 12 people were killed in kyiv.
Trump said strikes were not necessary and criticized their “very bad timing”.
Russian forces pulled 103 Shahed and Lure drones in five Ukrainian regions overnight, Ukraine's air force reported.
The authorities of the northeast regions of Sumy and Kharkiv reported damage to civil infrastructure but no victims.
The war could approach a pivotal moment when the Trump administration weighs its options.
ADVERTISEMENTSenior American officials have warned that the administration could soon abandon the attempts to stop the war if the two parties do not reach an agreement.
This could potentially mean a judgment of crucial American military support in Ukraine.
Trump's frustration increases while his efforts to forge an agreement between Moscow and kyiv failed to carry out a breakthrough.
Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff met Putin in Moscow on Friday, their second meeting this month and the fourth since February.
ADVERTISEMENTThe Kremlin has published a short video from Putin and Witkoff greeting. “How are you, Mr. President?” You could hear that Witkoff said. “Very well, very good, thank you,” replied Putin in rare remarks in English, while the two were shaking hands.
Putin's foreign policy aid Yuri Ushakov and sent for international Kirill Dmitriev cooperation joined the two at the table for talks.
