Trump calls occupied Crimea 'size of Texas,' says it's 'in the middle of the ocean'
As Kyiv braces for peace talks that will include negotiations on the status of Ukraine's Russian-occupied territories, U.S. President Donald Trump on Aug. 20 referred to Crimea as "the size of Texas" and located "in the middle of the ocean."
Russia has illegally occupied Crimea since 2014. Moscow may reportedly be seeking recognition of the annexed peninsula as Russian as part of a future peace settlement to end the war in Ukraine.
Trump brought up Russia's 2014 occupation of Crimea during a conversation on the Mark Levin Show, a right-wing talk radio program. He pointed out that the annexation occurred while former U.S. President Barack Obama was in the White House, suggesting the media unfairly criticizes his own handling of Russia while giving Obama a pass.
"I didn't give them Crimea," Trump said.
"Crimea is massive — I would say, like, the size of Texas or something — in the middle of the ocean. And it's gorgeous. And they gave it up because of Obama and the press doesn't even talk about it."
Crimea is roughly 26 times smaller than Texas and is not located "in the middle of the ocean" — it is a peninsula in the Black Sea that also borders the Sea of Azov.
The U.S. state of Texas is a little over 10% larger than the entire nation of Ukraine.
Trump frequently deflects criticism of his foreign policy strategy on Russia by blaming his Democratic predecessors for the war instead of addressing the substance of the critiques or articulating a position on current developments. His Alaska Summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin drew widespread criticism, as Trump offered Putin a warm red-carpet welcome and quickly dropped his demand for a ceasefire.
During a joint press conference after their closed-door meeting, Putin told reporters former U.S. President Joe Biden was responsible for Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Trump, who repeats that claim in nearly all of his public remarks on the war in Ukraine, said he was "so happy" to hear Putin say that.
While Trump's rhetorical patterns are not new, his geographical errors regarding Ukraine may cause additional concern as Kyiv prepares for high-stakes peace talks that may include pressure to sign away territory as part of a deal.
Arrangements are underway for President Volodymyr Zelensky to meet face-to-face with Putin, potetentially in the next two weeks. Zelensky said on Aug. 18 that he was prepared to discuss territorial issues directly with Putin as part of peace talks.
Russia has demanded a full Ukrainian withdrawal from Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, de jure recognition of currently occupied territories — including Crimea — as Russian, a special status for the Russian-backed church and the Russian language in Ukraine, Kyiv's demilitarization, and a ban on Ukraine's NATO membership.
Trump's Crimea comments are reminiscent of remarks made by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff in March. Witkoff sparked outrage in Ukraine when he could not accurately name the "so-called four regions" occupied by Russia even as he suggested handing them over to Moscow.
