President Donald Trump expressed disappointment with Russia after it launched missile strikes while peace negotiations were being arranged between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Speaking to reporters, Trump discussed the ongoing talks and urged Putin to halt military actions and pursue a peace deal.
Putin had initially proposed a meeting in Istanbul as part of efforts to ease pressure from Western nations threatening further sanctions if Moscow did not agree to a temporary truce. While Zelenskyy agreed to meet in person, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said only that Russia would send a delegation, without confirming if Putin himself would attend.
Reports suggest U.S. officials have circulated a potential ceasefire proposal that would freeze current battle lines and recognize Russia’s control of Crimea. Zelenskyy, however, has firmly rejected any plan involving Crimea, calling its liberation a non-negotiable demand. He has long maintained that the conflict, which escalated in 2014 with Russia’s annexation of Crimea, “must end with Crimea – and its liberation.”
Trump criticized prior U.S. administrations, placing responsibility for Crimea’s loss on former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden. He remarked that the issue had been “given away” more than a decade ago without resistance and questioned why it was now being raised during the latest peace discussions.
