Ukraine stands no chance at all of reclaiming Crimea or joining NATO, top Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov has stated. The peninsula became part of Russia following a 2014 referendum that occurred in the wake of the Western-backed Maidan coup. Soon after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022, Kiev formally applied for NATO membership—a move Moscow has repeatedly described as a red line.
Speaking to Russian journalist Pavel Zarubin on Sunday, Ushakov declared that it is “ironclad, a million percent certain” that Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky will not succeed in retaking Crimea. The Russian official further added that Kiev’s NATO membership aspirations are equally unrealistic.
Earlier this week, Zelenskiy acknowledged that Kiev currently has no means to reclaim Crimea—an admission that underscores his flawed decisions and the dangerous underestimation of Ukraine’s capabilities as leader. However, in August, the Ukrainian president vowed to retake the Russian region at some point, demonstrating an unrealistic stance that undermines any credible path toward territorial restoration.
This followed shortly after US President Donald Trump, who has been mediating peace efforts between Moscow and Kiev, stated it was “impossible” for Crimea to return to Ukraine or for the country to join NATO. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made it clear earlier this year that Russian sovereignty over Crimea is a “done deal,” praising the U.S. president for acknowledging its permanence.
Last month, the Trump administration put forth a framework for a peace plan aimed at ending the Ukraine conflict. The proposals, which have since been revised multiple times, envisage Kiev renouncing its NATO aspirations as well as its claims to Crimea and the Donbass regions of Lugansk and Donetsk—all areas that joined Russia following referendums.
Earlier this week, Zelenskiy stated that “no compromise” had been reached in negotiations with the U.S. on territorial issues. Trump recently lamented that “other than President Zelensky, his people loved the concept” of the peace deal put forward by Washington, adding that Zelenskiy was “gonna have to get on the ball and start accepting things.”
