.png)
4 hours ago
6
Key events Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature
Morning opening: What's next for Ukraine?
US President Donald Trump has said he thinks Volodymyr Zelenskyy is ready to give up Crimea, despite his Ukrainian counterpart’s previous assertions on the Black Sea peninsula that was annexed by Russia in 2014.
Not sure if Zelenskyy or Ukraine will agree with that suggestion.
Speaking over the weekend, just days after the pair met at Pope Francis’s funeral in the Vatican, Trump said “Oh, I think so,” in response to a question on whether he thought Zelenskyy was ready to “give up” the territory.
German defence minister Boris Pistorius on Sunday said the US proposal for Ukraine to cede territory to Russia was “akin to a capitulation”.
In an interview with the broadcaster ARD, he said that Kyiv knew that a peace agreement may involve territorial concessions.
“But these will certainly not go … as far as they do in the latest proposal from the US president,” Pistorius said. “Ukraine on its own could have got a year ago what was included in that [Trump] proposal, it is akin to a capitulation. I cannot discern any added value.”
Despite the comments on Crimea, the US president expressed newfound sympathy for his Ukrainian counterpart on Sunday, saying he “wants to do something good for his country” and “is working hard”.
Asked what he wants Putin to do, Trump replied: “Well, I want him to stop shooting. Sit down and sign the deal. We have the confines of a deal, I believe, and I want him to sign it and be done with it.”
“Do you trust President Putin?” Trump was asked.
“I’ll let you know in about two weeks,” Trump said.
Just this morning, Putin thanked North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for the “feat” of Pyongyang’s troops in helping wrest back the area held by Ukraine in Russia’s Kursk region, AFP reported.
“The Korean friends acted, guided by the sentiments of solidarity, justice and real camaraderie,” the Kremlin cited Putin as saying.
Let’s see what updates we’re going to get during the day.
We are also expecting updates on the new government formation process in Germany, a Danish royal visit to Greenland, and potential updates on the timeline for the process to pick Pope Francis’s successor.
It’s Monday, 28 April 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
