Zelensky Heard Saying Ukraine Lacks Strength and Support to Retake Crimea

Overview

• The recording was published on December 9 by the Ukrainian outlet Novosti.Live on its Telegram channel.
• In the audio, Zelensky says Ukraine does not have the strength or sufficient international backing to reclaim the peninsula.
• He ties the point to his first meeting with Vladimir Putin in Paris in 2019, saying he told Putin he wanted Crimea returned.
• Russian state outlets presented the clip as an admission, and a senior Crimean legislator labeled the acknowledgment belated.
• Coverage reiterated Russia’s 2014 annexation contested by Kyiv and Western governments, and cited President Trump’s claim that Zelensky sought Crimea’s return and NATO membership in 2019.