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‘There’s nothing to talk about’. A timeline of Zelensky and Trump contradicting each other over Crimea (and other politicians weighing in)
Manage episode 480025075 series 3381925
Last week, several major American media outlets reported that the Trump administration had presented a peace plan to Ukrainian officials that would involve U.S. recognition of Russian sovereignty over Crimea. Up until that point, the United States, like Ukraine’s other Western allies, had categorically refused to recognize Moscow’s annexation of the peninsula. As a result, over the past week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has found himself embroiled in another public dispute with President Trump, as the two leaders trade contradictory public statements about the future status of Crimea. Meduza shares a timeline of what they and other officials have said so far.
April 22
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky:
Ukraine will not legally recognize [Russia’s] occupation of Crimea. This is our territory, the territory of the people of Ukraine. There’s nothing to talk about. It is against our Constitution.
April 23
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U.S. President Donald Trump:
[Zelensky’s] statement is very harmful to the Peace Negotiations [sic] with Russia in that Crimea was lost years ago under the auspices of President Barack Hussein Obama, and is not even a point of discussion. Nobody is asking Zelenskyy to recognize Crimea as Russian Territory [sic] 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?
ALSO ON APRIL 23
April 24
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Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Trump’s position on Crimea:
This fully corresponds with our understanding and with what we have been saying for a long time.
April 24
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French President Emmanuel Macron on discussing the status of Crimea: “This is not the time and it’s not for us to decide.”
France’s position is steadfast and will not change. [...] We will continue to defend the right of the Ukrainian people to live in peace on their territory and within their internationally recognized borders.
April 24
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A senior E.U. diplomat (quoted anonymously by the Financial Times): “Crimea and [Ukraine’s] future NATO membership aspirations are red lines for us. We can’t give them up.”
April 25
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Trump: “Crimea will stay with Russia. And Zelensky understands that, and everybody understands that it's been with them for a long time.”
TRUMP’S PEACE PLAN IN MAPS
April 25
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Zelensky on territorial concessions regarding Crimea:
Our position cannot contradict Ukraine’s Constitution. We can’t give away or not give away [territory]. This is our property, not mine — it’s the property of the Ukrainian people.
And on where he agrees with Trump:
I agree with [President Trump] that Ukraine doesn’t have enough weapons to regain control of Crimea by force of arms.
April 27
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Trump on whether Zelensky is ready to give up Crimea:
Oh, I think so, yeah. Look, Crimea was 12 years ago, that was President Obama, they gave it up without a shot being fired. So don’t talk to me about Crimea, talk to Obama and Biden about Crimea. And remember, this is Biden’s war. This isn't Trump’s war. I came in to try and solve a problem. And the problem is so many people are being killed.
April 28
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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov calls international recognition of Russian control over Crimea, as well as Ukraine’s occupied Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions, an “imperative” for a peace settlement.
April 30
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E.U. High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy Kaja Kallas on the possibility of the U.S. recognizing Crimea as part of Russia:
I can’t see that we are accepting these kind of things. But we can’t speak for America, of course, and what they will do [...] On the European side, we have said this over and over again . . . Crimea is Ukraine.
READ MORE ABOUT TRUMP’S PEACE PLAN
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