In an interview with journalists at New Jersey Airport on Sunday, when asked if Zelenskyy was ready to "give up" Crimea, Trump replied, "Yes, I think so." Recall that 1 day ago, Trump met directly with Zelenskyy in the Vatican, at the Pope's funeral, and had a 15-minute conversation.
Zelenskyy stated last week that Ukraine could not accept the US's recognition of Russia's annexation of Crimea, in response to which Trump accused him of "unpreparedness for negotiations." On Friday, Zelenskyy firmly stated that Crimea is "the property of the Ukrainian people." He did not immediately respond to Trump's last remarks.
According to two different peace plans announced by Reuters on Friday, the US is proposing to retain Russian-occupied territories, including the strategically important Crimean Peninsula.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius on Sunday equated the US proposal to cede part of its territory to Russia to "almost surrender." In an interview with ARD, he said that he knew that the Kyiv peace agreement could be linked to certain territorial concessions.
But he added: "These benefits will not be as profound as the last [Trump's] proposal. Ukraine would not have accepted such conditions even a year ago. It's like giving up. I don't see any benefit from this."
Despite his comments on the Crimean issue, the US president spoke on Sunday with a new sense of sympathy towards Zelenskyy, describing him as someone who "wants to do good for his country and works hard."
Trump also said that after his conversation with Zelenskyy, after the talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump's peace ambassador Steve Whitkoff, he felt "shocked and deeply saddened" that Russia had dropped bombs on Ukraine. "I was very upset to see the missiles launched by Russia," he said.
Trump noted that Zelenskyy told him "we need more weapons" and added, "But he's been saying this for three years."
When asked what he wanted Putin to do, Trump said, "I want him to stop shooting and end this work by signing the agreement." He stated that a "compromise framework" had been formed and demanded Putin sign it.
To the question "Do you believe in Putin?" Trump replied: "I will inform you about this within two weeks." For additional questions, he refused to give a precise answer: "In two weeks or less," he said in general terms. "Keep in mind, they are losing 3-4 thousand people a week."
Trump emphasized that a face-to-face meeting with Zelenskyy in the Vatican improved their relationship: "Relations with them have never been bad. We had a little argument because I disagreed with some of his statements. But the cameras were on, and this was normal for me."
"He is in a very difficult situation, very difficult. He is fighting against a much larger force than himself," Trump said, reiterating his constantly false claim: allegedly, the US has allocated $350 billion to Ukraine to protect it.
Regarding Zelenskyy, whom he met in the Vatican, Trump said: "I gave him no peace. I think he has begun to understand the situation better and is striving for an agreement."
Trump also claimed there was "some progress" regarding trade negotiations with China, although Chinese officials stated that no negotiations were being conducted. "They want a deal, that's obvious," Trump said. "Now they are not trading with us at all. This is not their fault, but the result of my policy. Because it's impossible to do business with a 145% duty. But something will change soon," the US President said.
Abdullah Sayyid
