Washington [US], April 24: At the White House on April 23, President Trump said a deal with Russia was "very close" and basically complete, but Zelensky appeared to be "more difficult to negotiate", according to AFP.
The Ukrainian president's refusal to accept U.S. conditions to end the conflict will only prolong the "killing field," Trump added.
"I think we have an agreement with Russia. Now we need an agreement with Mr. Zelensky. I used to think it would be easier to negotiate with Mr. Zelensky. But so far it's been harder," the White House owner admitted.
In response to Trump's attack, US Vice President JD Vance presented the US vision of a peace deal in which Russia would retain the territories it has controlled in Ukraine, including Crimea. Vance also revealed that the proposal calls for freezing the territorial demarcation line to a certain extent close to the current reality and establishing a long-term diplomatic solution in the hope of leading to lasting peace.
President Zelensky has rejected letting Russia control the territory, saying it violates Ukraine's constitution.
In response, Mr. Trump exploded in anger, accusing Mr. Zelensky of being a "provocateur" and taking a stance "very damaging to peace talks with Russia."
Zelensky "can choose peace, or fight for another three years before losing the whole country," Trump wrote on Truth Social. The leader said Crimea "was lost many years ago" and "is not even a matter of discussion anymore."
In response, Zelensky responded by posting on social media the 2018 "Crimea Statement" by the US Secretary of State during the first term of then-Trump Secretary Mike Pompeo, in which the US declared "its opposition to Russia's attempt to annex Crimea and is committed to maintaining this policy until the territorial integrity of Ukraine is restored".
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said weeks after the U.S.-initiated dialogue began, Trump's patience was "slowly running low."
On April 23, Ukraine and representatives of the United States, Britain, France and Germany held talks in London to find out what Kyiv might accept in the deal, according to Reuters. President Zelensky said the meeting took place with "emotions running high" but hoped future joint efforts would lead to peace.
Britain, France and Germany issued a joint statement emphasizing their support for Trump's commitment to ending the killing and achieving a just and lasting peace. U.S. special envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg described the dialogue as positive and said it was time to implement President Trump's directive to stop killing, achieve peace and put America first.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
