(Image Credit: IMAGN) Mar 4, 2025; Washington, DC, USA; U.S. President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on March 04, 2025 in Washington, DC. President Trump was expected to address Congress on his early achievements of his presidency and his upcoming legislative agenda. Mandatory Credit: Win McNamee-Pool via Imagn Images
Washington D.C. – Former President Donald Trump reignited controversy over U.S. foreign policy on Friday by declaring in a Time magazine interview that “Crimea will stay with Russia,” marking another moment in which the Republican leader appeared to pressure Ukraine into accepting territorial concessions to end its war with Moscow.
“Zelenskyy understands that,” Trump said, referring to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “And everybody understands that it’s been with them for a long time.”
The statement, made during a Tuesday interview and published Friday, underscored Trump’s belief that Ukrainian resistance is prolonging the war. This assertion stands in sharp contrast to U.S. and European views. European leaders have repeatedly accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of using stalled peace talks as a smokescreen to seize more territory.
Now in its third year, the war may be approaching a pivotal juncture. Senior U.S. officials are reportedly weighing whether to continue supplying Ukraine with vital military aid if negotiations stall. Trump’s comments signal that a future Trump administration might take a drastically different approach that could fundamentally reshape the U.S.-Ukraine alliance.
Crimea, a strategic peninsula along the Black Sea, was annexed by Russia in 2014 during the Obama administration. Trump downplayed the issue, saying Russia had “submarines there for many years” and that “the people speak largely Russian.” He added, “This wasn’t given by Trump. This was given by Obama.”
Zelenskyy, however, has consistently stated that Ukraine will not concede any occupied land, including Crimea. Speaking Thursday, the Ukrainian leader said his country agreed to a U.S. ceasefire proposal 44 days ago, but Russia continued launching attacks.
Trump, speaking Friday as he left the White House to attend the funeral of Pope Francis in Rome, said that while there’s no deadline for peace, he hopes for a swift resolution. “I just want to do it as fast as possible,” he said, adding that negotiators are “pretty close” to a deal and that he may meet with Zelenskyy during his time in Rome.
Meanwhile, Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff met with Putin in Moscow for the second time this month. Kremlin officials said the three-hour meeting was “constructive” and focused on reviving direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.
In parallel, Russia continued its brutal military campaign. A drone strike on an apartment building in Pavlohrad killed three civilians, including a child and an elderly woman. A day earlier, a major missile and drone assault on Kyiv left 12 dead and nearly 90 wounded.
Ukraine’s air force reported that Russia launched more than 100 Shahed drones across five regions. President Zelenskyy said Russia used the chaos of Thursday’s aerial assault to intensify ground attacks along the 620-mile front.
Speaking to CBS’ Face the Nation, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov echoed Trump’s optimism, stating that negotiations are “moving in the right direction.” However “specific elements” still need to be resolved.
Still, with bombs continuing to fall and civilians dying, Zelenskyy and many Ukrainians remain deeply skeptical of any resolution that legitimizes Russia’s land grabs.
