As Russia’s war against Ukraine continues, the war of words between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is flaring up again.
In a post Wednesday on the social media platform Truth Social, Trump blasted statements Ukraine’s leader made during a news conference Tuesday.
Zelenskyy’s “inflammatory” words, Trump wrote, were “very harmful” to any talk of peace.
In the news conference, according to The Wall Street Journal, Zelenskyy dismissed a U.S. proposal to recognize the reality that Russia has occupied the Crimea region it seized from Ukraine in 2014, during the Obama administration.
“Ukraine will not legally recognize the occupation of Crimea,” Zelenskyy said, according to the Journal.
“There’s nothing to talk about here. This is against our constitution.”
But, as the plan has been publicly reported, it would not require Ukraine to recognize Russian sovereignty over Crimea — only pragmatic U.S. recognition of a military reality.
Will Trump help Ukraine and Russia reach a peace deal?
In other words, there was wiggle room involved — as there almost always is in a conflict while both combatants are capable of continuing the fighting. If the goal is to stop the killing, differences can be papered over.
“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.
For the U.S. president, Zelenskyy’s comments coming as they did — in a public setting — upset talks at a tense time.
And, Trump wrote, Ukraine was not being asked to recognize Russian control over Crimea. He declared that Zelenskyy’s statements served only to undercut the talks for no purpose.
“It’s inflammatory statements like Zelenskyy’s that makes it so difficult to settle this War. He has nothing to boast about! The situation for Ukraine is dire,” Trump wrote.
“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?”
It’s far from the first time Trump and Zelenskyy have been publicly at odds. In February, the two had a memorable blow-up at the White House — along with Vice President J.D. Vance — resulting in Zelenskyy being essentially kicked out.
Now, it’s happening again, and Trump is making it clear that his patience is running thin.
“The statement made by Zelenskyy today will do nothing but prolong the ‘killing field,’ and nobody wants that!” he wrote in the Truth Social post.
“We are very close to a Deal, but the man with ‘no cards to play’ should now, finally, GET IT DONE. I look forward to being able to help Ukraine, and Russia, get out of this Complete and Total MESS, that would have never started if I were President!”
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