Trump-Zelensky Clash Deepens as U.S. Downplays Ukraine Peace Talks and Scales Back War Crimes Accountability

U.S. President Donald Trump has criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for refusing to recognize Russia’s occupation of Crimea, calling the stance “very harmful to peace negotiations.” Trump, who has hinted at brokering a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, said Zelensky must choose between continuing a prolonged war or accepting peace terms soon.

“He has nothing to boast about! The situation for Ukraine is dire — He can have Peace or, he can fight for another three years before losing the whole Country,” Trump posted on social media.

The comments came as a high-level peace summit in London faced a dramatic setback. Planned talks between Ukraine, the U.S., and European allies were downgraded after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio abruptly pulled out, citing “scheduling issues.” This prompted French and German foreign ministers to cancel their trips, significantly weakening the summit’s impact.

At the White House, Trump claimed he believes he’s secured a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin and possibly with Zelensky, although he noted that dealing with the Ukrainian leader has been more difficult than negotiating with Putin.

Zelensky swiftly responded by invoking the 2018 U.S. Crimea Declaration, which reaffirmed support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and condemned the use of force to seize land. “Emotions have run high today,” Zelensky said, sharing a screenshot of the declaration. “But it is good that 5 countries met to bring peace closer.”

Despite the president’s claims of peacemaking, the Trump administration has moved to dismantle several key efforts designed to hold Russia accountable for war crimes in Ukraine. This includes scaling back the Justice Department’s War Crimes Accountability Team and pulling out of a European-led task force focused on violations of international law.

Congressman Jason Crow criticized the rollback, saying the administration is weakening justice efforts. “The atrocities coordinator position... was created by Congress on a bipartisan basis,” he said. “The administration must empower whoever serves in this position to carry out their duties.”

The policy shift has alarmed human rights advocates and lawmakers, who see it as a retreat from global accountability. Adding to the controversy, the administration also dismantled programs targeting the financial networks of Kremlin-linked oligarchs.

Meanwhile, Ukraine continues to mount a determined military defense. In the last 24 hours alone, Ukraine's military claimed it inflicted 1,210 Russian casualties during 144 combat clashes. Ukrainian forces also reported downing drones and destroying tanks, armored vehicles, and artillery systems, with the fiercest battles occurring near Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region.

As the diplomatic impasse deepens, world affairs editor Sam Kiley of The Independent described Zelensky’s strategic absence from the London talks as a calculated move to avoid being ambushed with a US-Russian ultimatum. The decision left U.S. envoy Keith Kellogg sidelined, while Britain's Foreign Secretary David Lammy led a downsized meeting with Ukraine's foreign minister.

The rift between the U.S. and Ukraine, paired with Trump's rollback of war crimes accountability, suggests growing pressure on Kyiv to accept terms that may fall short of its territorial goals — even as it reports significant military success.