The US president assured that the Ukrainian president understands this issue, while the Kremlin continues to bomb Ukrainian territory without reaching an agreement.
U.S. President Donald Trump declared in an interview published Friday that “Crimea will remain with Russia,” the latest example of his pressure to end the war.
“Zelensky understands that,” Trump said, referring to the Ukrainian president. “And everyone understands it’s been with them for a long time.”
Trump made the remarks in a Time magazine interview conducted Tuesday and released today. He accused Zelensky of prolonging the war by refusing to negotiate with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Crimea is a strategic peninsula along the Black Sea in southern Ukraine. Russia occupied it in 2014, during President Barack Obama’s term, years before the full-scale invasion that began in 2022.
“They’ve had their submarines there long before the time we’re talking about—many years. Most people in Crimea speak Russian,” Trump said. “But this was given by Obama. Not Trump.”
Meanwhile, Russia has continued its attacks. A drone strike hit an apartment building in southeastern Ukraine, killing three and injuring ten others, officials said Friday—one day after Trump rebuked Putin for a deadly missile and drone assault on Kyiv.
A child and a 76-year-old woman were among the civilians killed in the overnight drone attack on Pavlohrad in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region, regional governor Serhii Lysak reported on Telegram.
Russian forces launched 103 Shahed drones and decoys across five Ukrainian regions overnight, Ukraine’s air force said. Authorities in the northeastern regions of Sumy and Kharkiv reported damage to civilian infrastructure, but no casualties.
The war may be reaching a critical stage as the Trump administration weighs its options. Senior U.S. officials have warned that the government could soon abandon its efforts to stop the war if both sides fail to reach a deal. This could include suspending crucial U.S. military aid to Ukraine.
Amid peace efforts, Russia bombarded Kyiv on Thursday with a one-hour assault that killed at least 12 people and injured 87—its deadliest strike on the capital since July.
The attack prompted a rare rebuke from Trump to Russian President Vladimir Putin, as Trump claimed peace efforts are reaching a decisive point.
“I’m not happy with the Russian strikes on Kyiv. Unnecessary and bad timing. Vladimir, STOP! 5,000 soldiers are dying a week,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Let’s make the peace deal happen!”
Trump’s frustration is growing as his efforts to forge a Ukraine-Russia agreement have stalled.
Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, met with Putin in Moscow on Friday—his second meeting this month and fourth since February.
The Kremlin released a short video showing Putin and Witkoff shaking hands. “How are you, Mr. President?” Witkoff said. “Very well, thank you,” Putin replied in a rare English-language remark.
Putin’s foreign policy adviser, Yuri Ushakov, and his envoy for international cooperation, Kirill Dmitriev, joined the talks.
Trump accused Zelensky on Wednesday of prolonging the “killing field” by refusing to give up Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014. Zelensky has repeatedly stated that recognizing Russian-occupied territories is a red line for Ukraine.
Trump and Zelensky are expected to arrive in Rome on Friday for Pope Francis’ funeral in St. Peter’s Square on Saturday. It’s unclear whether they will meet privately.
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