US criticizes Zelenskyy's peace approach
Photo: Karoline Leavitt, White House Press Secretary (Getty Images)
The United States believes that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is moving in the wrong direction on the peace process, stated the White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
Leavitt recalled the statement of US President Donald Trump, who emphasized that "Crimea was lost years ago under the auspices of President Barack Obama".
"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.
According to her, in order to conclude a deal, both parties must remain "a little bit unhappy."
"Unfortunately, President Zelenskyy has been trying to litigate this peace negotiation in the press, and that’s unacceptable to the President. These should be closed-door negotiations," said the White House press secretary.
She added that US President Donald Trump is "frustrated. His patience is running very thin". He wants to see peace between Ukraine and Russia.
"You need both sides of the war willing to do that. And unfortunately, President Zelenskyy seems to be moving in the wrong direction," she added.
What Trump said
Earlier, US President Donald Trump said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's public refusal to recognize Crimea as Russian harms peace talks.
According to him, the situation for Ukraine is difficult, and if there is no peace, then in three years, Zelenskyy can lose the whole country.
