Donald Trump warned he's crossed Zelensky's red line in peace deal talk

President Donald Trump has claime (Image: AP)

Donald Trump’s suggestion that Ukraine needs to abandon hopes of reclaiming Crimea is “a line which Volodymyr Zelensky can’t cross”, former Tory MP Tobias Ellwood has said. And the US President is far less interested in stopping the war than extracting the United States from involvement in it, the ex-British army officer has suggested.

The billionaire once again lashed out at Mr Zelensky on Wednesday, accusing him of prolonging the war with Russia by refusing to negotiate over the peninsula. Posting on his Truth Social platform, he said: “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? He can have Peace or fight for another three years before losing the whole Country.”

Rescue workers search for people under rubble of an apartment building in Kyiv (Image: Global Images Ukraine via Getty)

However, Mr Ellwood, who is now a Distinguished Fellow with the Royal United Services Institute, suggested Mr Trump was primarily addressing his remarks to a “domestic audience”.

He told The Express: “He's not after a victory and just supporting Ukraine, he's not after coming to Zelensky's rescue in his hour of need, as in fact Ukraine did with Afghanistan, along with 60 other countries.

"He's just interested in closing shop, in moving out. After his own build-up - he set the bar high himself, claiming he could use the clout of the Oval Office to knock heads together - he's now appreciating, whether it's Ukraine, or indeed, Gaza, that people aren't going to jump when he says they have to.

“And they've now wised up to the fact that his understanding and grasp of these situations.

Ukrainian PM Volodymyr Zelensky and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa (Image: Getty)

“He is taking America down a very dark path. What he's doing is very un-American and it will require the backbone of the Republican Party to stand up to him.

"I'm afraid under Trump, America is not doing the right thing again and again and again, from cutting intelligence sharing, halting military assistance, and now spouting the very lies that Putin has been projecting, these are very dangerous times indeed.

"It's very concerning that you've got the demise of a collective Western determination to stand firm at the same time that Russia is choosing to move up a gear; that's a dangerous combination."

Asked about Mr Trump’s pressure over Crimea, the former MP of Bournemouth East said: “Absolutely that is a no-go area, a line that Zelensky can't cross.

”You can imagine how easy it would be for the opposition to say, 'Oh, you were the ones that gave away part of Ukraine. How dare you do that? That's the political dilemma he faces.”

The gravity of the situation was highlighted by Russia’s attacks on Kyiv on Wednesday night, which killed at least nine people and injured 70 more, prompting Mr Zelensky to cut short his official trip to South Africa.

Speaking on Radio 4’s Today programme on Thursday, Oleksiy Goncharenko, a member of the Ukrainian Rada or Parliament, was pessimistic about the prospects of a ceasefire, despite Mr Trump’s claim that a deal was very close.

He said of the latest strikes on his country: “This was awful attack, not just on Kyiv, for other cities too, but Kyiv for it was the biggest attack.

"And again, it was all civilians, so Russia is just attacking the cities, attacking civilian objects. All this terror continues.”

Asked about Mr Trump’s claim that he finds dealing with President Putin “easier” than dealing with Mr Zelensky, Mr Goncharenko suggested the Kremlin was purposely flattering the President’s ego.

He said: "It sounds strange to me, but what I do understand that Putin tries to play this game with President Trump.

"Russians don't want any peace, but they want to give all this recognition to Trump.

"And at the same time, they continue to kill Ukrainian people.”

The proposal would freeze frontlines close to their current positions, meaning both Ukraine and Russia would retain some territory, but the issue of Crimea is likely to be huge sticking point.

Talking about the agreement Mr Trump advocates, Mr Goncharenko said: "The question is, what is the deal?"

US Vice President JD Vance pictured in India (Image: Getty)

"So for me personally, and Trump says it in his statement that nobody pushes Ukraine to recognise occupied territories as Russian, this is our red line. We will never do this.

"We're dying literally here every day. So we need to stop it, but it's not clear about these red lines. So I still hope that President Trump really wants peace, I hope that he who will understand that to achieve this peace he need to put pressure, not just on Ukraine but on Russia too."

Mr Zelensky insisted earlier this week that ceding any Ukrainian territory was off the table.

He said: “There is nothing to talk about. It is our land.”

Wednesday’s talks in London were scaled back after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio pulled out, casting doubt over Washington’s commitment to the process.

Vice President JD Vance, speaking from India, said the US had issued a “very fair proposal” and warned it was time for both sides to accept or the US could “walk away”.