President Trump Blasts Obama and Biden for Surrendering Crimea, Urges Peace Deal Between Russia and Ukraine
President Donald Trump didn’t hold back in criticizing his predecessors, calling out former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden for their catastrophic failure in handling the Crimea situation—a failure he says set the stage for ongoing conflict in Eastern Europe.
Speaking aboard Air Force One on Wednesday, President Trump addressed the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and revealed he’s weighing a potential visit to Istanbul, where peace talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy are set to take place.
“He’d like me to be there, and that’s a possibility,” Trump said of Putin. “I don’t know that he would be there if I’m not there. We’re going to find out.”
The president is currently on a diplomatic tour through the Middle East, with stops in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Despite a packed schedule, Trump said he’d be willing to divert his trip to Istanbul if it could prevent further bloodshed. “We have a very full situation. Now, that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t do it to save a lot of lives and come back,” he stated, according to a Washington Post pool report.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to attend the Thursday summit in Trump’s stead, though the President has left the door open for a last-minute appearance.
Putin had proposed the peace talks amid pressure from Western powers threatening new sanctions unless Moscow committed to a 30-day ceasefire. Zelenskyy responded by insisting on a face-to-face meeting with Putin in Istanbul, rejecting any talks with subordinates like Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov or Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed Russia would send a delegation but remained noncommittal on whether Putin himself would attend.
President Trump, however, expressed frustration with Russia’s actions during this critical moment. “We’ll see what happens,” he said. “I was very disappointed that missiles were flying, by Russia…very disappointed.”
Meanwhile, reports have emerged suggesting that U.S. officials are exploring a ceasefire deal that would effectively solidify Russian control over Crimea, which Moscow seized in 2014. Such a proposal flies in the face of Zelenskyy’s long-standing red line—Crimea’s return to Ukraine.
In a 2022 Axios report, Zelenskyy declared, “The Russian war against Ukraine and against the entire free Europe began with Crimea and must end with Crimea – and its liberation.”
Zelenskyy has consistently ruled out any arrangement that acknowledges Russia’s claim over Crimea. President Trump, taking a firm stand, blamed the situation squarely on Obama and Biden.
“Crimea was given away by Barack Hussein Obama, and by Biden, like 11 or 12 years ago. That’s a long time ago,” Trump told reporters. “I don’t know how he could bring up Crimea, because that’s been a long time. Nobody brought it up for 12 years, and now they’re bringing it up now. So, I told them, I told him, he should maybe go back to Obama, ask him why they gave it up. They gave it without a shot being fired by him.”
Trump made it clear that he wants Putin to end the violence and finalize an agreement. “We have the confines of a deal, I believe, and I want him to sign it and be done with it,” the president said.
He also emphasized the restored strength and respect the U.S. now commands under his leadership.
“There’s no more games,” Trump said. “We have somebody that knows what he’s doing, not like the previous person who didn’t have a clue.”