Trump blasts Zelenskyy as Vance threatens to “walk away” from peace deal

Vice President JD Vance warned Wednesday that Moscow and Kyiv must strike a deal or Washington will end its efforts to reach a ceasefire. It was the second warning from the Trump administration in less than a week, despite President Trump’s frequent pledges before his second term began that he would end the war immediately.

“We’ve issued a very explicit proposal to both the Russians and the Ukrainians, and it’s time for them to either say yes, or for the United States to walk away from this process,” Vance told reporters in India, where he is on a four-day visit.

Vance spoke as envoys from Washington, Kyiv and European nations gathered for talks in the U.K. amid a new U.S. push to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.

“It’s now time, I think, to take, if not the final step, one of the final steps, which is, at a broad level, the party saying we’re going to stop the killing, we’re going to freeze the territorial lines at some level close to where they are today,” Vance added. “Now, of course, that means the Ukrainians and the Russians are both going to have to give up some of the territory they currently own.”

Later Wednesday, President Trump posted on Truth Social to blast Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for saying Ukraine will not recognize Russia’s occupation of Crimea. 

“This statement is very harmful to the Peace Negotiations 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,” Mr. Trump wrote. “Nobody is asking Zelenskyy to recognize Crimea as Russian Territory 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? … The statement made by Zelenskyy today will do nothing but prolong the ‘killing field,’ and nobody wants that! We are very close to a Deal, but the man with “no cards to play’ should now, finally, GET IT DONE.”

“Enough is enough. The president’s frustrated, his patience is running very thin,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters outside the White House Wednesday.

Seemingly in response to Mr. Trump, Zelenskyy reposted on social media a 2018 statement from Mr. Trump’s former Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, in which Pompeo said, “the United States reaffirms as policy its refusal to recognize the Kremlin’s claims of sovereignty over territory seized by force in contravention of international law.” 

Zelenskyy said Wednesday that his country was ready for any negotiations that might bring about a ceasefire, as he sent his condolences to the families of nine civilians killed in a Russian drone attack on a bus earlier in the day.

“We insist on an immediate, complete and unconditional ceasefire,” Zelenskyy wrote on social media. “Stopping the killing is the number one task. I am grateful to everyone who is focused on this and helping to move towards the end of the war.”

Mr. Trump promised on the campaign trail to strike a deal between Moscow and Kyiv in 24 hours, but has since failed to secure concessions from President Vladimir Putin. Mr. Trump proposed an unconditional ceasefire in March, the principle of which was accepted by Kyiv but rejected by Putin.

The White House welcomed a separate agreement by both sides to halt attacks on energy infrastructure for 30 days, but the Kremlin has said it considers that moratorium to have expired.

The remarks from Trump and Vance came as senior officials from the U.S., France, the U.K., Germany and Ukraine were holding talks in London aimed at securing a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia, after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio pulled out of higher-level talks that had been scheduled, The Associated Press reported.

Rubio said he had spoken to his British counterpart, Foreign Secretary David Lammy, on Tuesday night, calling the conversation “productive.” He said the U.S. delegation to London was being led by Special Presidential Envoy Keith Kellogg.

“I look forward to following up after the ongoing discussions in London and rescheduling my trip to the U.K. in the coming months,” Rubio said.

Lammy also called the conversation with Rubio “productive,” and said “the U.K. is working with the U.S., Ukraine and Europe for peace and to put an end to Putin’s illegal invasion. Talks continue at pace and officials will meet in London tomorrow. This is a critical moment for Ukraine, Britain and Euro-Atlantic security.”

contributed to this report.