US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said a deal on halting the Ukraine war was “very close,” but slammed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky over his refusal to cede Crimea to Russia formally.

“It’s inflammatory statements like Zelenskyy’s that make it so difficult to settle this War,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

The outburst came after US media reports said Trump was ready to accept recognition of annexed Crimea as Russian territory, and after Vice President JD Vance said land swaps would be fundamental to any deal.

In his post, Trump was referring to Zelensky’s comments, published in the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday, in which he said that ceding Crimea is against Ukraine’s constitution.

“Ukraine will not legally recognise the occupation of Crimea,” Zelensky was quoted as saying. “There is nothing to talk about here.”

Trump lambasted Zelensky over the remarks.

“This statement is very harmful to the Peace Negotiations with Russia,” Trump said, adding that if Ukraine “wants Crimea, why didn’t they fight for it eleven years ago when it was handed over to Russia without a shot being fired?”

He added: “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.”