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The United States is reportedly prepared to recognize Russia’s control over Crimea and other occupied Ukrainian territories to secure a peace deal in Ukraine. According to The Telegraph, former President Donald Trump will send his peace envoy Steve Vitkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner to Moscow to make a direct proposal to Vladimir Putin.
The plan to recognize Ukrainian territory as Russian, which would break longstanding US diplomatic norms, is expected to move forward despite concerns from Ukraine’s European allies. “It is becoming increasingly clear that Americans do not care about Europe’s position. They say Europeans can do whatever they want,” a well-informed source told the publication. Previously, Putin said that handing over Donbas to Russia would be key to ending the war, a topic that will be discussed during the American delegation’s visit to Moscow next week.
Kremlin officials confirmed they had received a revised peace strategy, shortened after talks between Ukrainian and US officials in Geneva last week. The initial 28-point plan included a de facto US recognition of Crimea and two eastern Donbas regions as Russian. The strategy also proposed a de facto recognition of Russian control over the occupied Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions.
During Geneva talks, the plan was reduced to 19 points, making it less favorable to Moscow. However, multiple sources suggest that the US proposals for recognizing Russian control over these territories remain. Legally, Ukraine will not recognize Russia’s control over territories it has illegally annexed since 2014. The Ukrainian constitution prohibits any president or government from ceding territory without a nationwide referendum.
Ukrainian officials, including Andriy Yermak, head of the presidential office, and Rustem Umerov, secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, were expected to travel to Florida this weekend to meet US officials at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort. In a recent interview with The Atlantic, Yermak said that “no rational person today would sign a document giving up territory” and that “Zelenskyy will not agree to give up territory.”
The US proposal has reportedly raised concerns among European allies, who have repeatedly rejected any peace deal that allows for forced border changes. The Atlantic notes that US and European governments have so far refused to recognize Russian control over Crimea, which Putin illegally annexed in 2014.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin’s new national security strategy promises to integrate occupied Ukrainian territories into Russia’s system over the next decade. Analysts warn that Moscow’s ongoing efforts to consolidate control show Putin has never seriously considered concessions to end the nearly four-year-long conflict. The US negotiating team is expected in Moscow next week to discuss the peace plan framework, but The Economist predicts that talks could continue for several months.
Former Ukrainian ambassador to the US Oleg Shamshur warned in an article titled “Trump’s 28 points: how to sell Ukraine” that real peace requires reliable guarantees and a strong European stance, otherwise today’s “peace plans” risk prolonging the war rather than ending it.
