Trump says Crimea will stay in Russia during Ukraine war negotiations – state
“Crimea will remain in Russia, the latest example of U.S. leaders put pressure on Ukraine to end the war when the war is in a difficult situation,” U.S. President Donald Trump said in an interview on Friday.
Trump is referring to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, saying: “Zelenskyy knows this,” and everyone knows it has been around for a long time. ”
The U.S. president commented in an interview with Time magazine on Tuesday. Trump has been accusing Zelenskyy of extending the war by boycotting negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Crimea is a strategic peninsula in the Black Sea in southern Ukraine. It was captured by Russia in 2014, and President Barack Obama took office, years before the full-scale invasion that began in 2022.
“They have been there for many years before any period we're talking about. People speak in Crimea to a large extent.” “But this is what Obama gives. It's not what Trump gives.”
Meanwhile, Russia continued to bomb. Officials said Friday that a drone attacked an apartment building in a southeastern Ukraine city, killing three people and injuring 10 people.
A child and a 76-year-old woman were civilians who died in a night drone strike in Pavlohrad, Dnipropetrovsk region of Ukraine, wrote on Telegram.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russian troops fired 103 Shahd and bait drones to five Ukrainian regions overnight. Authorities in northeast Sumi and Kharkif regions reported damage to civilian infrastructure, but no casualties were found.
War may be approaching a critical moment when the Trump administration weighs its options. Senior U.S. officials warn that if the two sides do not reach an agreement, the government may soon abandon its attempt to stop the war. This could mean stopping important U.S. military aid to Ukraine.
In a peaceful effort, Russia slammed Kiev on an hour-long barrage on Thursday, killing at least 12 people and wounding 87 in the deadliest attack on the Ukrainian capital since July.
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The attack has sparked a rare condemnation by Trump Russian President Vladimir Putin, who said efforts to end the war are coming.
“I'm not happy with Russia's strike against Kiev. There's no need and it's not a bad time. Vladimir, stop! 5,000 soldiers are dying every week,” Trump wrote in his post on his Truth Social Platform. “Let's complete the peace agreement!”
Trump's frustration has grown as his efforts to reach a deal between Ukraine and Russia fail to make a breakthrough.
Trump's Steve Witkoff met with Putin in Moscow on Friday for the second meeting of the month and the fourth since February.
The Kremlin released a short video of Putin and Witkov greeting each other. “How are you, Mr. President?” Witkov could be heard. “Very good, very good, thank you.” Putin replied in rare English remarks, and the two shook hands.
Putin's foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov and Kirill Dmitriev, the envoy of international cooperation, joined the talks.
Trump accused Zelenskyy of refusing to surrender to the Russian-occupied Crimea in order to extend the “field of murder.” Russia illegally annexed the region in 2014. Zelenskyy repeated many times during the war to recognize the occupied territory as Russia is the red line for his country.
Trump and Zelenskyy plan to arrive in Rome on Friday to hold the funeral of Pope Francis on Saturday at St. Peter's Square in the Vatican. It is not clear whether they will meet alone.
Moscow's explosion targets senior officials
Meanwhile, Russia's top criminal investigation agency said a senior Russian military officer was killed by a car bomb near Moscow on Friday.
The attack follows the killing of Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov on December 17, 2024, when a bomb hidden in an electric scooter outside the apartment building exploded and he left the office. Russian authorities accused Ukraine of killing Kirillov.
Since the Russian invasion, it has been considered to be several prominent figures in Ukraine as being considered targeted attacks carried out by Ukraine.
Zelenskyy said Thursday afternoon that Russian troops launched nearly 150 attacks along the front line of about 1,000 kilometers using Thursday's attack on Kiev as cover.
“When our troops' largest units are focused on defense of missiles and drones, the Russians continue to greatly intensify their ground attacks,” he wrote in the telegram.
Western European leaders accused Putin of shuffling in negotiations and trying to capture more Ukrainian land when his army has momentum in the battlefield.
Zelenskyy noted Thursday that Ukraine agreed to a U.S. ceasefire proposal 44 days ago, which was the first step in negotiating peace, but the Russian attacks continued.
In recent talks, Russia attacked Sumi City, killing more than 30 civilians gathered to celebrate Palm Sunday, beat Odessa with drones and blew up Zaporizhzhia with powerful gliding bombs.
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