US President Donald Trump's administration is prepared to recognize Russian control of Crimea as part of a proposal to end the war in Ukraine, a source familiar with the negotiations has said.
According to the source, the proposal also includes a ceasefire along the current front lines. The peace plan has already been presented to European and Ukrainian representatives during a meeting held in Paris on Thursday.
The peace framework was also discussed during a phone conversation between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
"There are still parts of the agreement that need to be worked out. The US aims to work with Europe and Ukraine to finalize it next week in London," the source said.
At the same time, the Trump administration is preparing another meeting between the president's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, and Russian diplomats, with the aim of getting Moscow to agree to the framework proposed by the US.
Russia seized control of the Crimean peninsula in 2014 and then annexed it—a move considered illegal by most of the international community. This development paved the way for a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
