'Crimea Already Lost': Zelenskyy Signals No More Land Swaps With Russia Ahead Of Trump Meeting

Last Updated:August 18, 2025, 08:59 IST

Zelenskyy, who arrived in the US to meet Trump, said Ukraine had already lost Crimea and parts of Donbas, which he accused Putin of using as a “springboard” for new attacks.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy with US President Donald Trump | File Image: Reuters

Ahead of his White House meeting with US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signalled that Kyiv will not agree to further land swaps with Russia as part of any peace deal.

Zelenskyy, who arrived in Washington days after the Alaska talks, said Ukraine had already lost Crimea and parts of Donbas, which he accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of using as a “springboard" for renewed attacks.

“We all share a strong desire to end this war quickly and reliably. And peace must be lasting. Not like it was years ago, when Ukraine was forced to give up Crimea and part of our East—part of Donbas—and Putin simply used it as a springboard for a new attack," he said.

Zelenskyy said that the security guarantees offered to Ukraine in 1994 had failed, adding that Crimea should not have been ceded at the time, just as Ukrainians did not surrender Kyiv, Odesa or Kharkiv after 2022 conflict broke out with Russia.

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News world 'Crimea Already Lost': Zelenskyy Signals No More Land Swaps With Russia Ahead Of Trump Meeting

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