Russia and Putin · Second term · № 105
Said "Crimea will stay with Russia" and that Ukraine would never be able to join NATO
“Crimea will stay with Russia. And Zelensky understands that, and everybody understands that it's been with them for a long time.”
- Said
- , Interview with TIME at the White House
- Subject
- Crimea
- Type
- Ukraine
- Topic
- Ukraine & Russia
- Era
- Second term
What happened
Trump gave the interview on April 22, 2025, and TIME published the transcript on April 25. Asked whether Ukraine should give up hope of joining NATO, he said, "I don't think they'll ever be able to join NATO," and said talk of membership was "what caused the war to start." Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. A U.S. peace proposal under discussion that week included recognizing Russia's control of Crimea, CNN reported, and Zelensky said, "Ukraine will not legally recognize the occupation of Crimea." Zelensky also shared the 2018 Crimea Declaration issued by Trump's first-term secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, which rejected Russia's occupation of the peninsula. Asked on April 24 why the administration had changed its stance, Trump said, "This is Biden's war."
Sources
- Read the Full Transcript of Trump’s ‘100 Days’ Interview
- 'Crimea will stay with Russia,' Trump says as he seeks end to war in Ukraine
- Trump slams Zelensky for refusing to recognize Russian control of Crimea
- Remarks Prior to a Meeting With Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre of Norway and an Exchange With Reporters