Trump offered Crimea to Russia? Austria's shocking claim about secret war deal - but Putin still chose war
Austria's Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger has revealed that US president Donald Trump was willing to hand over Crimea and parts of eastern Ukraine to Russian President Vladimir Putin as part of a peace deal to end the war between Ukraine and Russia, as per a report. But Putin rejected the deal and chose to keep continuing the war with Ukraine, as reported by RBC.
Austria Makes Bold Claim: Donald Trump Offered Crimea to Russia
During an interview with German broadcaster Die Welt, Meinl-Reisinger highlighted that Ukraine wants peace, but Russia does not want that, because if Putin wanted peace, he would have already started negotiations to end the war, as reported by RBC.
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Donald Trump's 'Silver Platter' Offer to Vladimir Putin
She said that, 'Trump has served Putin Crimea and several eastern oblasts on a silver platter, so to speak, and has also ruled out Ukraine's membership in NATO," adding, 'And what is Putin doing? He continues to cover the country with a war of annihilation,' as quoted by TVP World.
During an interview with Time magazine in April, Trump himself said that Crimea 'will stay with Russia' under any proposed peace deal, as reported by TVP World.
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Russia Still Occupies Key Ukrainian Territories
According to the TVP World report, Crimea has been under Russian occupation since 2014, when Moscow illegally took over the territory after a sham referendum held under military occupation and without international observers.
Apart from Crimea, Russia also currently partially occupies Ukraine's Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, after formally annexing them, as reported by TVP World.
Trump's Deadline: 50 Days for Peace or Sanctions
Trump has also expressed frustration with Putin due to the lack of progress in peace talks on Ukraine, and even promised to impose tough economic measures against Russia if the Kremlin continues to stall, as reported by RBC.
The US president reportedly gave Putin 50 days to reach an agreement, and when he was later asked about this strict deadline, Trump said things would go "too badly" for Russia if it failed to meet the timeline, according to the report.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also pointed out that Trump is losing patience with Putin over the deadlocked talks on Ukraine and said that the US president has not ruled out imposing restrictions on Russia even earlier than the 50-day deadline, as per the RBC report.
Russia Facing Mounting Losses
Meanwhile, Meinl-Reisinger also dismissed the claims that Russia holds the momentum on the battlefield, saying Moscow is 'suffering enormous losses,' as quoted in the report. She pointed out that, 'At some point, the coffins will pile up in Russia. In addition, there is the disastrous economic situation," as quoted in the report.
Meinl-Reisinger added, 'It is becoming increasingly difficult for the Kremlin to continue this war. Putin knows that he is running out of time. That is why he is now waging the war with such brutal intensity,' as quoted in the report.
As per Ukrainian estimates, Russia has lost more than 1 million soldiers since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which has forced the Kremlin to fill the gaps with foreign recruits, including troops from North Korea, as reported by TVP World.
FAQs
Did Trump offer Crimea to Russia?
?
Austria's foreign minister says he did. Trump allegedly floated the idea of handing over Crimea and parts of eastern Ukraine to Putin as part of a secret peace proposal.
Why did Putin reject the deal?
According to Austrian officials, Putin has no interest in peace and is committed to continuing the war regardless of concessions.
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