Germany warned that a large swath of Ukrainian land would constitute “submission” according to a peace proposal by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Defense Secretary Boris Pistorius said on Sunday that Ukraine may eventually need to make concessions to ensure peace, but insisted that this should not meet the latest plan of the U.S. president.
In an interview with German public broadcaster ARD, Pistorius said that Ukraine could have achieved what Trump is now asking “in fact, through surrender” and that he believes the proposal has no added value.
Frustrated by Trump’s inability to obtain a peace agreement between Moscow and Kiev after more than three years of war, he pushed for a settlement that included our recognition of Russian control over Crimea, the peninsula that Moscow annexed in 2014 in 2014 and the occupation of Ukrainian territory since its full-scale invasion in 2022.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently admitted that Ukraine lacks the military capability to retake Crimea by military force, but has always insisted that making territorial concessions is a red line. Ukraine’s constitution also prohibits the recognition of Crimea as Russian territory. “This territory is not my property. It is the property of the Ukrainian people,” Zelensky stressed in a briefing on Friday.
After a face-to-face meeting between Trump and Zelensky in the Vatican during the funeral of Pope Francis, Trump said they briefly discussed the Crimea issue and suggested that Zelensky “want to reach an agreement.” Trump also directed his strongest criticism
Russian President Vladimir Putin urged him to “stop shooting, sit down and sign the deal.” When he returned to Washington, Trump warned that if progress booths he was considering new sanctions on Russia, questioning whether Putin really wanted peace.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday that the upcoming week will be “very critical” for our leadership efforts to promote peace agreements, noting that the negotiations are “close but not close enough”.
Meanwhile, North Korea has publicly confirmed for the first time that it has deployed its troops to fight with Russian troops. Pyongyang’s Central Military Commission praised its combat sub-unit for its “valuable victory” in the Kursk region of Russia. Putin claimed on Saturday that Russian troops recaptured the Kursk region after Ukraine launched an offensive last year, despite Ukrainian officials insisting that their troops are still fighting to maintain control.
Putin praised the North Korean troops for their “heroism, high level of special training and self-sacrifice”, saying they “as Russian territory as their own identities.” Ukrainian officials and Western intelligence reports estimate that while Pyongyang has been denied their involvement, about 12,000 North Korean soldiers have been deployed to support Russia.
In March, South Korean military reported that 3,000 North Korean soldiers were sent to Russia, replacing about 4,000 casualties. North Korea’s Central Military Commission said Kim Jong-un personally ordered the deployment under a strategic partnership treaty signed with Russia last year. If any country is attacked, the agreement promises immediate military assistance.
Kim praised North Korean soldiers as heroes and announced plans to build a monument to commemorate his character. Valery Gerasimov, a senior Russian officer, also acknowledged and thanked the North Korean troops for their professionalism and bravery.
In addition to force deployment, South Korea also reported that North Korea also provided Russia with a large number of short-range ballistic missiles, hundreds of millimeter automatic howitzers and multiple rocket launchers of 240 millimeter millimeters.
The U.S. State Department expressed deep concern about North Korea’s direct participation in Russia’s war in Ukraine, and pointed out that any military support from Russia to North Korea must end. South Korea’s defense ministry condemned the deployment, saying it was an act of violation of UN resolutions and an illegal act that threatens global peace, urging the international community to respond.
