Sky News halted as Trump launches fresh attack on Volodymyr Zelenskyy

has lashed out at President , accusing him of stalling peace talks and dragging out the bloodshed by rejecting a U.S.-backed proposal to effectively concede Crimea to Russia. The U.S. president took to Truth Social this afternoon to vent his fury after Zelensky dismissed the idea of accepting Russia's occupation of Crimea - a key sticking point in any potential deal to end the ongoing war.

In his post, Trump wrote: "The statement made by Zelenskyy today will do nothing but prolong the 'killing field,' and nobody wants that! We are very close to a Deal, but the man with 'no cards to play' should now, finally, GET IT DONE." The Ukrainian territory or Crimea was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014. Trump's remarks came after Zelensky firmly rejected reports that the United States was prepared to recognise Crimea as Russian in exchange for a wider peace deal. The Ukrainian president made his position crystal clear: "There is nothing to talk about here. This is against our constitution," he said, doubling down on 's refusal to make any territorial concessions.

But Trump, while insisting that "nobody is asking Zelenskyy to recognize Crimea as Russian Territory," appeared to back Vladimir Putin's claim over the peninsula, even questioning why Ukraine didn't resist the takeover in the first place.

"If he wants Crimea, why didn't they fight for it eleven years ago when it was handed over to Russia without a shot being fired?" Trump posted.

"The area also houses, for many years before 'the Obama handover,' major Russian submarine bases."

Vice President said the U.S. would be prepared to "walk away" if Kyiv and Moscow refuse to accept Washington's seven-point peace plan offer. However, Downing Street quickly distanced itself from that threat, pledging continued support for Ukraine.

With the pressure mounting, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio admitted that hopes for an imminent breakthrough may be premature.

"I don't know about by the end of the week. I'm hopeful that we can get to something quickly," he told the Honestly podcast. "And I remain hopeful that we can get something done because this is a terrible war and it needs to end."

Trump boldly claimed days ago that a deal could be struck "this week." But following his fiery public attack on Zelensky, any sense of momentum appears to be fading.

Ukraine's defence minister Rustem Umerov struck a more optimistic tone after meeting with Trump's envoy, retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, in London.

"We talked about our consistent position regarding a ceasefire, also about security guarantees. For my part, I believe the meeting was very productive and successful," Umerov said in televised remarks.

Meanwhile, international law experts are raising serious alarms over the idea of Crimea being recognised as Russian. Stefan Wolff, professor of international security at the University of Birmingham, said the move would represent a "violation of international law."

He warned: "It is unlikely that a majority of Ukraine's remaining allies would follow suit, but other countries more closely aligned with Russia already might."