According to the US president, even Zelensky is aware that Crimea will remain under Moscow’s control when a final agreement is reached.
In an interview with Time Magazine published on Friday, US President Donald Trump stated that the Crimean Peninsula will remain part of Russia as part of a final resolution to the Ukraine conflict.
Crimea officially became part of the Russian Federation in 2014 following a referendum that occurred after a Western-supported coup in Kiev. Ukraine and its allies have rejected the referendum results as illegitimate, and Kiev has continued to assert its sovereignty over the peninsula, pledging to reclaim it by any means necessary.
In an interview with Time Magazine commemorating his first 100 days in office, Trump stated that Crimea “went to the Russians” a long time ago and implied that “everyone understands” that Ukraine will not be able to recover it.
Trump continued by saying that “Crimea will stay with Russia” as part of a final settlement to the Ukraine conflict, adding that even Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky is aware of this. The US president stated that “It’s been with them for a long time,” noting that Russia had its submarines there “long before any period that we’re talking about” and that the majority of Crimeans speak Russian.
Trump also emphasized that former US President Barack Obama “gave” the peninsula to Russia, claiming that the entire conflict is “Obama’s war,” which “should have never happened.”
Since taking office again in January, Trump has been urging both Moscow and Kiev to resolve the conflict. During the previous year’s election campaign, he stated that he would end hostilities “within 24 hours” of entering the White House. However, he told Time that he said this “figuratively” as an “exaggeration.”
DETAILS TO FOLLOW