American president addressed the theme when talking to journalists at Morristown airport in New Jersey, before boarding back to Washington, after participating in Pope Francis funeral
The president of the United States, said on Sunday (27) believing that the president of Ukraine would be willing to resign to Crimea, a peninsula attached by Russia in 2014. The statement contrary previous positions of Zelensky, which insists that the crimeia “belongs” to Ukraine.
Trump addressed the theme when talking to journalists at Morristown airport in New Jersey before boarding Air Force One back to Washington after participating in Pope Francis’ funeral in Rome. According to him, Zelensky would be open to concessions as part of a possible peace agreement. “Yes, I believe that,” Trump replied when asked about the possible Ukrainian resignation to Crimea. Subsequently, he indicated that his words could have been jokingly.
Since resumed the presidency in January, Trump has been doing a diplomatic offensive to try to close the conflict started in 2022, so far to no avail. He also reiterated the need for Russian President Vladimir Putin, “stop shooting, feels and firmly a deal.” The meeting between Trump and Zelensky took place on Saturday (26) in Rome, in parallel to the Pope’s funeral. It was the first face -to -face meeting of the two leaders since the televised clash they had at the White House in February.
In addition, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said next week will be “crucial” to assess whether Russia and Ukraine are really willing to sign a peace agreement. In an interview with NBC, Rubio said Washington is close to an understanding, but warned that there are still obstacles. “We have reasons for optimism, but also for realism,” he said. He stressed that the only way out of the conflict would be a negotiated deal, requiring concessions on both sides.
White House National Security Advisor Mike Waltz confirmed that they are in progress conversations with Kiev and Moscow, but avoided giving details. In a recent interview with the magazine TimeTrump suggested that an American peace proposal would include recognition of Crimea as Russian territory, information not yet officially confirmed. Zelensky, in turn, reaffirmed that the peninsula remains part of Ukraine.
*With information from AFP
Posted by Felipe Cerqueira
