Former President Donald Trump has asserted that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is willing to relinquish Crimea as part of a ceasefire agreement to end Ukraine’s three-year conflict with Russia.
When asked whether he believed Zelenskyy was prepared to surrender the peninsula Russia illegally annexed in 2014, Trump responded, “I think so.”
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Such a move would represent a significant shift in Ukraine’s longstanding position against ceding territory in exchange for peace.
As efforts to achieve at least a temporary halt to the fighting appear to enter a critical phase, optimistic remarks from both the Trump administration and Zelenskyy over the weekend were echoed on Monday by a spokesperson for Russian President Vladimir Putin, who said the Kremlin was ready to begin peace talks with Washington and Kyiv.
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Trump and Zelenskyy met Saturday in Vatican City, on the sidelines of Pope Francis’ funeral.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday while boarding Air Force One in New Jersey, Trump said he believes a ceasefire agreement could soon be reached and urged Putin to “stop shooting, sit down, and sign a deal.”
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