Washington, 23 April 2025 (dpa/MIA) - US President Donald Trump has sharply criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for his refusal to accept the Russian occupation of Crimea and accused him of prolonging the war.

"This statement is very harmful to the Peace Negotiations with Russia in that Crimea was lost years ago," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

"Nobody is asking Zelenskyy to recognize Crimea as Russian Territory but, if he wants Crimea, why didn’t they fight for it eleven years ago when it was handed over to Russia without a shot being fired?"

"It’s inflammatory statements like Zelensky’s that makes it so difficult to settle this War," Trump added.

Zelensky had reiterated on Tuesday that Ukraine would not recognize any occupied territories as Russian as part of a deal to end the war.

"There is nothing to discuss. This is outside our constitution," he told a press conference

After annexing the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea in 2014, Russia also declared the Ukrainian regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhya part of its territory in 2022. Except for Crimea, Russia does not fully control any of the areas.

Ukraine has been defending itself against a full-scale Russian invasion for over three years.

The United States has been urging the warring parties to agree to a ceasefire for several weeks, so far without success. US media reported this week that the Trump administration wants Kiev to recognize Russia's annexation of Crimea as a part of a peace framwork with Moscow.

Photo: EPA