Donald Trump has seemingly ruled out Ukraine retaking Crimea as he turned the pressure up on Volodymyr Zelensky hours before talks with European leaders in Washington. The US President claimed his Ukrainian counterpart can end the war in Ukraine “if he wants to”, adding Kyiv won’t be allowed to join NATO or take back the Crimean peninsula illegally annexed by Russia in 2014.

In a post on his TruthSocial platform, Mr Trump wrote: "President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight. Remember how it started. No getting back Obama given Crimea (12 years ago, without a shot being fired!), and NO GOING INTO NATO BY UKRAINE. Some things never change!!!"

Mr Zelensky said only he and Vladimir Putin can discuss territorial concessions.

European officials said the Russian leader has made it clear to Mr Trump that he wants Ukraine to give up the Donetsk and Luhansk regions that make up the Donbas.

The Ukrainian president insisted "peace must be lasting" in any agreement to end the war.

He said on X: "Not like it was years ago, when Ukraine was forced to give up Crimea and part of our East — part of Donbas — and Putin simply used it as a springboard for a new attack. Or when Ukraine was given so called 'security guarantees' in 1994, but they didn't work.

"Of course, Crimea should not have been given up then, just as Ukrainians did not give up Kyiv, Odesa, or Kharkiv after 2022."

He earlier explained to reporters in Brussels that Ukraine’s constitution makes it "impossible to give up territory or trade land".

Mr Zelensky has previously said he would like Ukraine to take back Crimea and that he would refuse to recognise Russian control of the Black Sea peninsula in a peace deal.

It comes as the Ukrainian president and other European leaders, including Sir Keir Starmer and France’s Emmanuel Macron, will meet Mr Trump at the White House for talks on ending the conflict.

The issue of territorial concessions is expected to dominate the meeting.