Trump didn't mention Russian-occupied Crimea during recent talks, Zelensky says

U.S. President Donald Trump did not raise the topic of occupied Crimea and its recognition as part of Russia during recent talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky, Zelensky said on March 20.

His statement comes days after reports that the Trump administration was considering recognizing Crimea as Russian territory as part of a broader deal to end Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine.

Semafor media outlet wrote on March 17, citing two sources familiar with the discussions, that American officials also explored urging the United Nations to follow suit, aligning U.S. policy with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s long-held stance on the peninsula.

"We (Zelensky and Trump) once talked about Crimea back in September (2024) in New York. He was interested in what it looks like, why Ukrainians love it so much," Zelensky said during a press conference with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store.

Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula has been under Russian occupation since 2014 following a fake referendum staged by Russia to annex the territory.

"I told him (Trump) that this is a unique nature. This is our integral part, this is our Ukrainian peninsula," Zelensky said.

"Without Ukrainians, Crimea is dying," Zelensky said, adding that tourism on the peninsula has largely disappeared since 2014.

The White House has insisted that both Russia and Ukraine will have to make compromises in order to end the war, calling Ukraine's goal of restoring its pre-2014 borders "unrealistic."

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that the Ukraine-U.S. talks in Saudi Arabia on March 11 included discussions about potential "territorial concessions" as part of a negotiated settlement with Russia.

Zelensky said on March 12 that Ukraine "will not recognize any occupied territories as Russia's" as a condition of any peace deal.