Moscow, Washington (Europe Brief News): United States President Donald Trump and Russia both accused President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky of harming peace talks and diplomacy. Trump blamed Zelensky for issuing “very harmful” remarks, and Russia accused the Ukrainian President of dismantling peace diplomacy negotiations about rejecting the Russian annexation of Crimea during peace negotiations.
Russia accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday of wrecking diplomatic peace initiatives after He refused this week to agree to recognise Russia’s annexation of Crimea.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters that it was becoming clearer by the minute that Zelensky lacked the capacity to negotiate a deal to end the war.
Zakharova said that European weapon aid to Kyiv motivated Zelensky to maintain his battlefield stance, regardless of casualties.
She remarked that the stance of some European countries reflected their fear of a potential Russian victory, Zakharova added.
Zelensky said on Tuesday that identifying Crimea as Russian territory would break Ukrainian constitutional laws. Ukraine remains devoted to achieving an absolute ceasefire without any conditions.
The United States participated in discussions with Ukraine that led to a thirty-day cease-fire agreement however Russian President Vladimir Putin established subsequent conditions and posed various questions indicating this pause would let Ukraine strengthen military forces and weapons systems.
On Wednesday Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky engaged in another dispute regarding their attempts to settle the Ukrainian conflict which started in 2014. The President of the United States criticized Zelensky for his refusal to validate Russia’s control of the Crimean Peninsula that Moscow officially annexed from Ukrainian territory in 2014.
Trump has announced recently that he would discontinue Ukraine settlement talks unless the Ukrainian government along with Russia concludes an agreement in the immediate future.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has reiterated that Ukraine has not been involved in any of these discussions, asserting on Tuesday that “there is nothing to discuss. This contradicts our constitution. This is our land, the land of the Ukrainian people.”
His comments came after US media reports that the Trump administration was ready to accept recognition of annexed land in Crimea as Russian territory.
In a post on the Truth Social platform on Wednesday April 23, 2025, U.S president accused Zelensky of stoking tension by “boasting” that Kyiv would not legally recognize ceding Crimea to Russia.
“This statement is very harmful to the Peace Negotiations with Russia,” Trump said, adding that Russia invaded the Crimean Peninsula and annexed it back in 2014 “without a shot being fired”.
According to Trump the inflammatory comments from Zelensky make it exceptionally challenging to achieve peace in this conflict. “He can have Peace or he can fight for another three years before losing the whole Country,” Trump said.
Earlier, US Vice President JD Vance told reporters in India that the US has “issued a very explicit proposal to both the Russians and the Ukrainians. It is time for Russia and Ukraine to either agree to a U.S. peace proposal “or for the United States to walk away from this process.”
Vance declared that land exchanges would act as the foundational component for reaching any agreement. He explained that any agreement would require Ukraine and Russia to cede parts of their present territorial possessions.
Speaking to reporters in India, Vance said the proposal called for freezing territorial lines “at some level close to where they are today” and a “long-term diplomatic settlement that hopefully will lead to long-term peace.”
“The only way to really stop the killing is for the armies to both put down their weapons, to freeze this thing,” he said.
How did the Ukraine ceasefire talks go in London?
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s absence on Wednesday led to a high level meeting with foreign ministers from Ukraine, the UK, France, and Germany being substituted with talks at an official level, highlighting the tension between Washington, Kyiv, and its European allies regarding Russia’s conflict in Ukraine
General Keith Kellogg, a retired general and President Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, attended in Rubio’s place. The members of the Ukrainian delegation included the country’s foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, defense minister, Rustem Umerov, and the head of President Zelensky’s office, Andriy Yermak. The UK’s foreign secretary, David Lammy, attended the downgraded session only for a short time.
One diplomat told The Washington Post that “The foreign minister-level meeting isn’t happening, “Without the secretary of state and Trump’s special envoy and the French and German foreign ministers,” “there’s no reason for the foreign secretary to chair,” he added.
Trump’s Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg said talks with Zelensky’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak were positive. “It’s time to move forward on President Trump’s UKR-RU war directive: stop the killing, achieve peace, and put America First,” he said in a statement on X.
Zelensky said the talks had been marked by emotions and expressed hope that future joint work would lead to peace. “Emotions have run high today. But it is good that 5 countries met to bring peace closer,” he wrote on the X social media platform. “The American side shared its vision. Ukraine and other Europeans presented their inputs.”
A spokesperson for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer played down any disappointment over Rubio’s abrupt cancellation, saying the talks involved “substantive technical meetings with European, US and Ukrainian officials on how to stop the fighting” triggered by Russia’s 2022 invasion.
“We remain absolutely committed to securing a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, and these talks today are an important part of that,” the spokesperson said.
A foreign office spokesperson said “all agreed to continue their close coordination and looked forward to further talks soon.”
The talks reportedly focused on establishing what ceasefire terms Kyiv could feasibly accept after US envoy Witkoff presented proposals at a similar gathering in Paris last week which reportedly appeared to demand more concessions from Ukraine than from Russia.
On the other hand, Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha expressed that their delegation had a day of active diplomatic work in London.
We had three important meetings: a bilateral meeting between Ukrainian and British foreign and defense ministers, David Lammy and John Healey, a multilateral meeting with national security and foreign policy advisers from the UK Jonathan Powell, France Emmanuel Bonne, and Germany Jens Plötner, and a meeting with US special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Gen. Keith Kellogg, He said in a post on X.
Sybiha stated that, “Our meeting with UK counterparts focused on the path to peace and the implementation of the 100-year Ukraine-UK partnership that our leaders signed this year. We are grateful to our British friends for their unwavering support.”
“We engaged in a significant discussion with delegates from the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, building upon our earlier diplomatic initiatives in Paris.” We reiterated Ukraine’s dedication to the peace initiatives spearheaded by U.S. President Donald Trump and our readiness to progress towards a thorough, fair, and enduring peace. “We will maintain our ongoing conversation,” he further stated.
Sybiha gave remarks regarding meeting with Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, “During our meeting with the U.S. Special Envoy General Keith Kellog we had a constructive exchange of views on the path to peace. Ukraine wants the war to end more than anyone else in the world. We are committed to working together to achieve this goal.”
The Ukrainian Foreign Minister extended appreciation to British Foreign Minister David Lammy and his country for their welcoming behavior and leadership. “Today’s discussions assisted in aligning our stances and reinforced our unwavering dedication to enduring peace and security, both in Ukraine and across Europe and the transatlantic region,” Sybiha said.
