Trump admits Ukraine war talks harder than expected - WSJ
Photo: Donald Trump (Getty Images)
The US President Donald Trump admitted that negotiations to end the war in Ukraine are more difficult than he expected, according to The Wall Street Journal.
According to American officials, Trump recently admitted to his aides that the negotiations have been more difficult to conclude than he had expected. As The Wall Street Journal writes, Trump directed most of his anger at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, particularly for not agreeing to the US's final proposal.
The growing realization that the parties are still far apart on key issues contrasts with Trump’s earlier statement that he could strike a deal in 24 hours.
Background
One of the points in the US peace plan for Ukraine suggests that Washington would officially recognize Crimea as part of Russia.
Yesterday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine would not legally recognize Crimea as occupied. Shortly after, media reported that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio canceled his trip to the meeting in London on April 23, where senior representatives from the US, Ukraine, and Europe were to meet to finalize a plan to end the war, after which one of Trump’s special representatives would present it to Moscow. According to media reports, Rubio’s trip was canceled due to Zelenskyy’s statement on Crimea.
On Wednesday, April 23, White House press secretary Caroline Levitt stated that the US believes Zelenskyy is moving in the wrong direction regarding the peace process, specifically mentioning Crimea.
"The president is not asking Ukraine to recognise Crimea. Nobody has asked them to do that. What he is asking is for people to come to the negotiating table, recognising that this has been a brutal war for far too long," she said.
Later that day, Volodymyr Zelenskyy reminded of the position of Trump’s first administration on Crimea, specifically the Crimea Declaration.
"We are grateful to our partners. Ukraine will always act in accordance with its Constitution, and we are absolutely confident that our partners, including the US, will act in line with their strong decisions," he said, attaching the text of the declaration to his statement.
