**Trump Doesn’t Mention Crimea During Talks with Zelensky**
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that US President Donald Trump did not discuss the issue of occupied Crimea during their recent talks. This is despite reports that the Trump administration was considering recognizing Crimea as part of Russia.
Zelensky made this statement on March 20, days after news emerged that the Trump administration was exploring the possibility of recognizing Crimea as Russian territory. The move would have seen the US align its policy with Russia’s stance on the peninsula.
**Crimea has been under Russian occupation since 2014**
The Crimean Peninsula has been occupied by Russia since a fake referendum in 2014. Ukraine considers Crimea to be an integral part of the country, and Zelensky told Trump that it was “dying” without Ukrainians living there.
The US White House has insisted that both Russia and Ukraine would need to make concessions to end the war. However, Zelensky has said that Ukraine will not recognize any occupied territories as Russian, including Crimea.
**No territorial concessions**
Zelensky also reiterated on March 12 that Ukraine “will not recognize any occupied territories” as part of a peace deal with Russia. The statement comes after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that talks between the two countries in Saudi Arabia had included discussions about potential “territorial concessions”.
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