President Trump on Wednesday issued a sharp rebuke to President Zelensky, declaring that he faces a “dire” situation and could either pursue a peace deal or continue fighting Russia for years, risking the loss of his entire country.

“Kyiv can have Peace or, he can fight for another three years before losing the whole Country,” Mr. Trump said in his statement on Truth Social.

Mr. Trump’s comments came in response to Tuesday’s remarks by Mr. Zelensky, who asserted that “Ukraine will not legally recognize the [Russian] occupation of Crimea.” That stance directly conflicts with a key condition of a U.S.-proposed peace plan, currently under discussion in London. 

“It’s inflammatory statements like Zelenskyy’s that makes it so difficult to settle this War,” Mr. Trump wrote. “He has nothing to boast about!”

The recognition of Crimea as part of Russia represents a major sticking point for Kyiv, which has long viewed the peninsula as occupied territory. Mr. Trump said the stance obstructs the path to ending the war.

“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,” Mr. Trump wrote. “Nobody is asking Zelenskyy to recognize 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?”

The U.S. president also noted that Crimea “houses, for many years before ‘the Obama handover,’  major Russian submarine bases” — a main reason Russian President Putin took the region a decade ago.

Mr. Trump’s critique highlighted his consistent perspective on the 2014 annexation of Crimea by Russia, which he previously faulted the Obama administration for failing to prevent. Since then, Ukraine has worked to regain control over Crimea and remove Russian forces from eastern regions of the country.

The U.S. peace proposal currently on the table, which includes Crimea’s formal recognition as part of Russia, marks a significant departure from decades of American foreign policy. Despite the sensitive nature of the negotiations, Mr. Trump refrained from criticizing Mr. Putin. 

“I have nothing to do with Russia, but have much to do with wanting to save, on average, five thousand Russian and Ukrainian soldiers a week, who are dying for no reason whatsoever,” Mr. Trump said. “The statement made by Zelenskyy today 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.”

Tensions between Mr. Trump and Mr. Zelensky were also evident in a heated exchange that took place during a February 28 Oval Office meeting. Mr. Trump scolded the Ukrainian leader for failing to thank America for billions in aid, and at one point cut him off, saying, “You’ve done enough talking. You’re not winning this. You have a damn good chance of coming out OK because of us.”

As the reverbations of the clash played out, Mr. Trump ordered a pause on shipments of U.S. military aid to Ukraine, with the White House saying it would remain in place until Mr. Trump determined that Mr. Zelensky had a true commitment to seeking peace talks.

Mr. Trump lifted the pause a week later after Kyiv signaled it was open to a 30-day ceasefire in the war with Russia, pending Moscow’s agreement.