KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday lashed out at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, saying the Ukrainian leader is prolonging the ‘killing field’ after he pushed back on ceding Crimea to Russia as part of a potential peace plan.
Zelenskyy on Tuesday ruled out the idea of Ukraine ceding territory to Russia in any deal before talks set for Wednesday in London among U.S., European and Ukrainian officials. “There is nothing to talk about — it is our land, the land of the Ukrainian people,” Zelenskyy said.
During similar talks last week in Paris, U.S. officials presented a proposal that included allowing Russia to keep control of occupied Ukrainian territory as part of a deal, according to a European official familiar with the matter who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoken on the condition of anonymity.
“This statement is very harmful to the Peace Negotiations with Russia in that Crimea was lost years ago under the auspices of President Barack Hussein Obama, and is not even a point of discussion,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Wednesday. “Nobody is asking Zelenskyy to recognize Crimea as Russian Territory but, if he wants Crimea, why didn’t they fight for it eleven years ago when it was handed over to Russia without a shot being fired?”
Trump added that “inflammatory statements like Zelenskyy’s” is making “it so difficult to settle this War.”
“He has nothing to boast about!” Trump said. “The situation for Ukraine is dire — He can have Peace or, he can fight for another three years before losing the whole Country.” Zelenskyy's statement “will do nothing but prolong the ‘killing field,’ and nobody wants that! We are very close to a Deal, but the man with “no cards to play” should now, finally, GET IT DONE."
A planned meeting Wednesday involving top U.S., British, French and Ukrainian diplomats to push forward a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine was pared back at the last minute, with Vice President JD Vance saying negotiations are reaching a moment of truth.
“We’ve issued a very explicit proposal to both the Russians and the Ukrainians, and it’s time for them to either say ‘yes’ or for the United States to walk away from this process," Vance told reporters during a visit to Agra, India.
He said it was “a very fair proposal” that would “freeze the territorial lines at some level close to where they are today,” with both sides having to give up some territory they currently hold. He did not provide further details of the proposal.
A senior European official familiar with the ongoing talks involving the American team said a proposal that the U.S. says is “final” was initially presented last week in Paris, where it was described as “just ideas” — and that they could be changed.
When those “ideas” surfaced in media reports several days later, Ukrainian officials were surprised to find that Washington portrayed them as final, according to the official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Zelenskyy said Wednesday that Ukraine is ready for any format of negotiations that might bring a ceasefire and open the door to full peace negotiations, as he mourned nine civilians killed when a Russian drone struck a bus earlier in the day.
“We insist on an immediate, complete and unconditional ceasefire,” Zelenskyy wrote on his Telegram page, in accordance with a proposal he said the United States tabled six weeks ago.
Ukraine and some Western European governments have accused Putin of dragging his feet on that proposal as his army tries to capture more Ukrainian land. Western analysts say Moscow is in no rush to conclude peace talks because it has battlefield momentum.
Doubts over negotiations
U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy announced the talks in London to find an end to the more than three-year war would involve only lower-ranking officials after the U.S. State Department said Tuesday that Secretary of State Marco Rubio was unable to attend because of a scheduling issue.
Rubio's abrupt cancellation raised doubts about the direction of the negotiations.
Commenting on those attending the London talks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that “as far as we understand, they so far have failed to bring their positions closer on some issues.”
He said the Kremlin was still in consultations with American officials but wouldn’t publicly discuss details.
U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to visit Moscow again later this week, according to Russian officials.
Even achieving a limited, 30-day ceasefire has been beyond the reach of negotiators, as both sides have continued to attack each other in a grinding war of attrition along the 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line and launch long-range strikes.
A Russian drone struck a bus carrying workers in Marganets, in eastern Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region on Wednesday morning, killing eight women and one man, regional head Serhii Lysak wrote on his Telegram channel. More than 40 people were injured, he said.
Lysak published photos of a bus with its windows blown out and shards of glass mixed with blood spattered on the bus floor.
Ukrainian delegation arrives in London
Trump has pushed for an end to the war and said last week that negotiations were “coming to a head.” That comment came after Rubio suggested that the U.S. might soon back away from negotiations if they don’t progress.
Rubio had indicated that Wednesday’s meeting could be decisive in determining whether the Trump administration remains engaged.
Those still attending the meeting included retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, Trump’s envoy for Ukraine and Russia.
Andrii Yermak, the head of Ukraine’s presidential office, said on X that a delegation including him, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov had arrived in London for the talks despite the alterations.
“The path to peace is not easy, but Ukraine has been and remains committed to peaceful efforts,” Yermak said. Officials would “discuss ways to achieve a full and unconditional ceasefire as the first step toward a comprehensive settlement and the achievement of a just and lasting peace,” he said.
Zelenskyy rejects ceding territory
During similar talks last week in Paris, U.S. officials presented a proposal that included allowing Russia to keep control of occupied Ukrainian territory as part of a deal, according to a European official familiar with the matter.
Zelenskyy pushed back against that during an appearance in Kyiv, saying: “There is nothing to talk about — it is our land, the land of the Ukrainian people.”
Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister, Yuliia Svyrydenko, said Wednesday: “Ukraine is ready to negotiate — but not to surrender.”
Russia, meanwhile, has effectively rejected a U.S. proposal for an immediate and full 30-day halt in the fighting by imposing far-reaching conditions.
Trump said repeatedly during his election campaign last year that he would be able to end the war "in 24 hours" upon taking office. But he has expressed frustration with Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Some European allies are wary of the American proposal for Ukraine to exchange land for peace. But an official said there’s also acknowledgment by some allies that Russia is firmly entrenched wholly or partially in five regions of Ukraine — Crimea, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.
If the goal is to obtain a ceasefire immediately, “it should be based on the line of contact as it is,” said a senior French official. The official was not authorized to be publicly named and spoke on the condition of anonymity according to French presidential policy.
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Novikov reported from Kyiv and Madhani from Washington. Hanna Arhirova in Kyiv, Ukraine and Angela Charlton in Paris contributed.
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Follow AP's coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
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