The US is ready to recognize Crimea as Russian as part of a future peace agreement.
Bloomberg writes about this, citing sources.
This "potential concession" is the latest signal that Trump is seeking to approve a ceasefire agreement. The publication notes that there is currently no final decision on this issue.
The White House and State Department did not respond to requests for comment. A US official familiar with the talks declined to comment on the details of the talks when asked about the possibility of recognizing Crimea as Russian.
Bloomberg also wrote on April 18 that the American side presented its allies with a proposal for a settlement in Ukraine, which includes conditions for a cessation of hostilities and easing of sanctions against Russia.
This proposal would effectively freeze the war, and the Ukrainian territories currently occupied by Russia would remain under Moscowʼs control, the interlocutors said. Ukraineʼs aspirations to join NATO would also not be discussed. At the same time, according to Bloomberg, European allies do not recognize the occupied territories as Russian.
- Zelensky has consistently stated that Ukraine will not recognize any of its occupied territories as Russian — these are red lines. The president said on April 17 that Ukraine is discussing a ceasefire with the United States, but without the issue of territories.
- On April 18, Trump confirmed his Secretary of State Rubioʼs statement that the US would withdraw from the negotiations if the parties made it difficult to end the war in Ukraine.
- Washington is negotiating with Russia and Ukraine to end the war, but a true ceasefire is still in sight. Kyiv has already agreed to halt hostilities in the Black Sea and not attack Russian energy facilities during a 30-day truce. Moscow, in return, has only promised not to attack energy facilities and said it would implement the Black Sea agreements only after Western sanctions are lifted.
- The US Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged that Russia is violating the partial ceasefire and warned the Russians against dragging out the peace process. The US President Donald Trump had previously promised to impose tough sanctions against Russia in such a case, but has not yet done so.
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