"Zelensky moving in the wrong direction on peace talks" - White House

President Volodymyr Zelensky is "moving in the wrong direction" in peace talks to bring an end to Russia's war against Ukraine, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said
"Unfortunately, President Zelensky seems to be moving in the wrong direction," Leavitt said to reporters outside the White House.
Earlier in the day, U.S. President Donald Trump claimed, "Nobody is asking Zelensky to recognize Crimea as Russian territory, but if he wants Crimea, why didn't (Ukraine) fight for it eleven years ago," amid reports that the U.S. could recognize Crimea as Russian in a potential peace deal.
Leavitt repeated Trump's earlier remarks, noting Ukraine would not be asked to recognize Crimea as Russian.
The press secretary noted that Trump wants Ukraine and Russia to both make concessions and bring an end to Russia's war against Ukraine.
"What he is asking is for people to come to the negotiating table recognizing that this has been a brutal war for far too long, and in order to make a good deal, both sides have to walk away a little bit unhappy," Leavitt said.
Leavitt slammed Zelensky for speaking to the media, claiming that the negotiations should be private.
Zelensky has said Ukraine will not legally recognize Crimea as Russian territory, as the U.S. weighs recognizing Moscow's illegal occupation despite Russia's annexation violating international law.
"Unfortunately President Zelensky has been trying to litigate this peace negotiation in the press and that's unacceptable to (Trump), these should be closed door negotiations, the president's national security team, his adviserss have exuded significant time energy and effort to try to bring this war to an end," Leavitt said.