Donald Trump has warned Volodymyr Zelensky that Ukraine must accept a peace deal or face losing the country entirely. The former US president accused the Ukrainian leader of prolonging the conflict by refusing to cede Crimea to Russia as part of a potential agreement.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump claimed that Crimea had been lost for good in 2014 and was not up for negotiation. He criticised Zelensky's insistence that Ukraine would never recognise Russian control over the peninsula, calling it an inflammatory statement that harms peace talks.
Trump's vice-president, JD Vance, also increased pressure on Ukraine, threatening that the US would walk away from negotiations unless both sides accept Washington's proposals. Vance described the plan as fair, involving a freeze of territorial lines close to current positions, with both sides giving up some territory.
The comments came after a high-level summit in London was downgraded when US Secretary of State Marco Rubio pulled out due to a scheduling issue. Despite this, Ukraine's defence minister Rustem Umerov described talks with US envoy Keith Kellogg as productive, focusing on a ceasefire and security guarantees.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that participants in the London talks had failed to bring their positions closer. Meanwhile, a Russian drone strike in Marganets, eastern Ukraine, killed nine people and injured over 40, highlighting the ongoing violence along the 998km front line.
