Get it done: Trump slams Zelenskyy for refusing to cede Crimea
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday criticised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for refusing to cede Crimea to Russia as part of ongoing peace negotiations. The President accused him of prolonging the war and making a potential settlement more difficult.In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote, "Nobody is asking Zelenskyy to recognise 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?"advertisementZelenskyy on Tuesday ruled out the idea of Ukraine ceding territory to Russia in any deal before talks set for Wednesday in London amongst US, European and Ukrainian officials. "There is nothing to talk about — it is our land, the land of the Ukrainian people," Zelenskyy said.
"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," Trump wrote on Truth Social on Wednesday. "Nobody is asking Zelenskyy to recognise 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?"Trump added that "inflammatory statements like Zelenskyy's" is making "it so difficult to settle this War."advertisement"He has nothing to boast about!" Trump said. "The situation for Ukraine is dire — He can have Peace or, he can fight for another three years before losing the whole Country." Zelenskyy's statement "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."US PUSH FOR A CEASEFIREThe comments came ahead of a high-stakes meeting in London, where top diplomats from the US, Britain, France, and Ukraine were expected to discuss a peace framework that includes controversial territorial compromises. A proposal from the US, which was initially presented last week in Paris, would allow Russia to keep control of certain occupied Ukrainian territories, including Crimea.Despite this, Zelenskyy and his team have maintained that no part of Ukraine will be surrendered. "We insist on an immediate, complete and unconditional ceasefire," Zelenskyy stated on Telegram. "We are ready for any format of negotiations that may bring a ceasefire and open the door to full peace negotiations."Trump's comments also come amid growing frustrations with the pace of the peace talks. US Vice President JD Vance, who has been involved in the negotiations, signalled that talks were at a "moment of truth" and warned that the US may walk away if the parties do not come to an agreement soon.advertisement"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 said during a visit to Agra, India.(With inputs from Associated Press)ALSO READ: Jordan outlaws Muslim Brotherhood, confiscates assetsTune InMust Watch
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Hindustan Times
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Time of India
41 minutes ago
- Time of India
'Far left is murderously violent': Is Minnesota shooting suspect Vance Luther Boelter a Democrat?
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The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Anti-Trump demonstrators crowd streets, parks to join ‘No Kings' protest; U.S. organizers say millions came
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More: — AFP News Agency (@AFP) June 14, 2025 Redd said it was too early to tell if the shooting was politically motivated and whether those involved knew each other. The shooter appeared to be walking alongside the group of thousands who were marching, he added. Video feeds showed demonstrators running for safety as gunshots rang out. 'Trump must go now' Huge, boisterous crowds marched, danced, drummed, and chanted shoulder-to-shoulder in New York, Denver, Chicago, Austin and Los Angeles, some behind 'no kings' banners. Atlanta's 5,000-capacity event quickly reached its limit, with thousands more gathered outside barriers to hear speakers in front of the state Capitol. Officials in Seattle estimated that more than 70,000 people attended the city's largest rally downtown, the Seattle Times reported. Trump was in Washington for a military parade marking the Army's 250th anniversary that coincides with the president's birthday. 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Protests over the federal immigration enforcement raids The demonstrations come on the heels of the protests over the federal immigration enforcement raids that began last week and Trump ordering the National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles, where protesters blocked a freeway and set cars on fire. 'Today, across red states and blue, rural towns and major cities, Americans stood in peaceful unity and made it clear: we don't do kings," the No Kings Coalition said in a statement Saturday afternoon after many events had ended. Thousands gathered downtown, where organizers handed out small American flags and people carried protest signs saying 'fight oligarchy' and 'deport the mini-Mussolinis." Karen Van Trieste, a 61-year-old nurse who drove up from Maryland, said she grew up in Philadelphia and wanted to be with a large group of people showing her support. 'I just feel like we need to defend our democracy,' she said. She is concerned about the Trump administration's layoffs of staff at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the fate of immigrant communities and Trump trying to rule by executive order, she said. A woman wearing a foam Statue of Liberty crown brought a speaker system and led an anti-Trump sing-along, changing the words 'young man' in the song 'Y.M.C.A.' to 'con man.' 'I am what the successful American dream looks like,' said C.C. Téllez, an immigrant from Bolivia who attended the protest. 'I've enjoyed great success here in the United States, and I've also contributed heavily to my community. And if there was space for me, I think there's a way for everybody else to belong here as well.' Thousands gathered in front of City Hall, waving signs and listening to a Native American drum circle before marching through the streets. 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Peter Varadi, 54, said he voted for Mr. Trump last November for 'economic reasons.' Now, for the first time in his life, he is protesting, waving a Mexican and U.S. combined flag. 'I voted for Donald Trump, and now I regret that, because he's taken this fascism to a new level,' Varadi said. 'It's Latinos now. Who's next? It's gays. Blacks after that. They're coming for everybody.' Even after the formal event ended, the downtown streets were packed with a jubilant crowd as people danced to salsa music and snacked on hot dogs and ice cream bought from vendors, many of whom are Latino immigrants. But the previously calm demonstration turned confrontational as police on horseback moved into the crowd and struck some people with wood rods and batons as they cleared the street in front of the federal building. Marchers in the crowd that stretched for blocks along Fifth Avenue had diverse reasons for coming, including anger over Trump's immigration policies, support for the Palestinian people and outrage over what they said was an erosion of free speech rights. But there were patriotic symbols, too. Leah Griswold, 32, and Amber Laree, 59, who marched in suffragette white dresses, brought 250 American flags to hand out to people in the crowd. 'Our mothers who came out, fought for our rights, and now we're fighting for future generations as well,' Griswold said. Some protesters held signs denouncing Trump while others banged drums. 'We're here because we're worried about the existential crisis of this country and the planet and our species,' said Sean Kryston, 28. Gov. Tim Walz and law enforcement encouraged people not to attend rallies 'out of an abundance of caution' following the shootings of the Democratic state lawmakers. Dozens of events were canceled, but tens of thousands still turned out for demonstrations in Duluth, Rochester and St. Paul, which included a march to the state Capitol. Walz canceled his scheduled appearance at the St. Paul event. Authorities said the suspect had 'No Kings' flyers in his car and writings mentioning the names of the victims as well as other lawmakers and officials, though they could not say if he had any other specific targets. Seda Heng, 29, of Rochester, said she was heartbroken by the shootings, but still wanted to join the rally there. 'These people are trying to do what they can for their communities, for the state, for the nation,' Heng told the Minnesota Star-Tribune. Crowds cheered anti-Trump speakers in Charlotte's First Ward Park before marching, chanting 'No kings. No crowns. We will not bow down." Marchers stretched for blocks, led by a group of people holding a giant Mexican flag and bystanders cheering and clapping along the way. People protest Trump's deployment of the National Guard Jocelyn Abarca, a 21-year-old college student, said the protest was a chance to 'speak for what's right' after mass deportations and Trump's deployment of the National Guard in Los Angeles. 'If we don't stop it now, it's just going to keep getting worse,' she said. Naomi Mena said she traveled an hour to demonstrate in Charlotte to represent her 'friends and family who sadly can't have a voice out in public now' to stay safe. A rally at the Texas Capitol in Austin went off as planned despite state police briefly shutting down the building and the surrounding grounds after authorities said they received a 'credible threat' to Democratic state lawmakers who were to attend. Dozens of state troopers swarmed through the grounds about four hours before the event, but the area was later opened and the rally started on time. The building remained closed. The Department of Public Safety later said one person was taken into custody 'in connection with the threats made against state lawmakers" after a traffic stop in La Grange, Texas, about 65 miles (105 kilometers) east of Austin. State police did not detail the threat or immediately identify the person, but said there was no additional active threat. A demonstration of hundreds of people opened to 'War Pigs' by Black Sabbath playing over a sound system on the state Capitol lawn in Jackson. 'A lot of stuff that's going on now is targeting people of color, and to see so many folks out here that aren't black or brown fighting for the same causes that I'm here for, it makes me very emotional,' said Tony Cropper, who traveled from Tennessee to attend the protest. Some people wore tinfoil crowns atop their heads. Others held signs inviting motorists to 'Honk if you never text war plans.' Melissa Johnson said she drove an hour-and-a-half to Jackson to protest because 'we are losing the thread of democracy in our country." Earlier in the day, thousands of protesters lined the streets in downtown Portland for several blocks, waving signs as passing cars honked in support. They marched around the city draped in American flags to the beat of drums and music. By late afternoon, a small group of demonstrators amassed across the river to protest in front of an ICE office where three people were arrested Wednesday night after starting a small fire against the building, police said. Federal immigration officers fired tear gas, flash bangs and rubber bullets in an effort to clear out the remaining protesters in the evening. Some protesters threw water bottles back and tended to each other's wounds. The police department wrote on X that the event was declared a riot. At least two people were detained and taken inside the federal immigration building.
