Germany has warned that ceding large areas of Ukrainian land to Russia under a peace proposal suggested by US President Donald Trump would amount to a capitulation. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said Sunday that Ukraine might eventually need to make concessions to secure peace but insisted it should not go as far as the American presidents latest plan. Speaking to German public broadcaster ARD, Pistorius stated that Ukraine could have achieved what Trump is now proposing more than a year ago practically through a capitulation and that he saw no added value in the proposal. Trump, frustrated by his inability to secure a peace deal between Moscow and Kyiv after more than three years of war, has pushed for a settlement that would include US recognition of Russias control over Crimea, the peninsula annexed by Moscow in 2014, and additional Ukrainian territory occupied since the 2022 full-scale invasion, according to officials familiar with the plan. Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky recently admitted that Ukraine currently lacks the military capability to retake Crimea by force but has consistently maintained that making territorial concessions is a red line. Ukraines constitution also forbids recognizing Crimea as Russian territory. This territory is not my property. This is the property of the Ukrainian people, Zelensky emphasized during a Friday briefing. Following a face-to-face meeting between Trump and Zelensky at the Vatican during Pope Francis funeral, Trump said they briefly discussed the Crimea issue and suggested that Zelensky wants to make a deal. Trump also directed some of his strongest criticism yet toward Russian President Vladimir Putin, urging him to stop shooting, sit down and sign a deal. As he returned to Washington, Trump warned that if progress stalls, he is considering new sanctions on Russia, questioning whether Putin genuinely wants peace. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday that the coming week would be very critical for US-led efforts to broker a peace deal, stating that negotiations were close but not close enough. Meanwhile, North Korea publicly confirmed for the first time that it has deployed troops to fight alongside Russian forces. The Central Military Commission in Pyongyang praised its combat sub-units for contributing to a precious victory in the Russian region of Kursk. Putin claimed on Saturday that Russian forces had recaptured the Kursk region after Ukraine launched an offensive there last year, although Ukrainian officials insist their troops are still battling to maintain control. Putin commended North Korean forces for their heroism, high level of special training, and self-sacrifice, saying they defended Russian territory as their own. Ukrainian officials and Western intelligence reports estimate that approximately 12,000 North Korean soldiers have been deployed to support Russia, although Pyongyang had until now denied their involvement. In March, South Koreas military reported that 3,000 additional North Korean soldiers were sent to Russia, replacing roughly 4,000 casualties. North Koreas Central Military Commission said that Kim Jong Un personally ordered the deployments based on a strategic partnership treaty signed with Russia last year. This agreement pledged immediate military assistance if either nation were attacked. Kim praised the North Korean soldiers as heroes and announced plans to erect a monument honoring their role. Russias top military officer, Valery Gerasimov, also acknowledged and thanked the North Korean troops for their professionalism and bravery. Alongside the deployment of troops, South Korea reported that North Korea has also supplied Russia with a significant number of short-range ballistic missiles, hundreds of 170-millimeter self-propelled howitzers, and 240-millimeter multiple rocket launchers. The US State Department expressed deep concern over North Koreas direct involvement in Russias war in Ukraine, stating that any military support from Russia to North Korea in return must end. South Koreas Defense Ministry condemned the deployment, calling it a violation of UN resolutions and an illegal act that threatens global peace, urging the international community to respond.
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