Mathias Busekist
It’s all part of a framework to end the war.
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The Trump administration is reportedly prepared to recognize Russian sovereignty over Crimea as part of a broader U.S.-backed proposal to end the ongoing war in Ukraine, a source familiar with the framework told CNN.
The controversial move would mark a significant shift in U.S. policy, acknowledging Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea—an act widely condemned as illegal under international law. In addition to Crimea, Russia currently occupies parts of four other Ukrainian regions: Donetsk and Luhansk in the east, and Kherson and Zaporizhzhia in the south, following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The proposal also includes a ceasefire along current front lines, according to the source, and has been shared with both European and Ukrainian officials during meetings in Paris this week. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has communicated the details directly to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in a phone call.
There has been no immediate response from Kyiv, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has previously ruled out any recognition of occupied territories as Russian. In March, Zelensky called such recognition a “red line” in any peace negotiations, emphasizing that Ukraine would not concede its territorial integrity.
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“For us, the red line is the recognition of the Ukrainian temporarily occupied territories as Russian. We will not go for it,” he stated.
While former President Donald Trump has frequently claimed he could end the war “in one day,” efforts to secure a peace deal have been hampered by Russia’s unwillingness to compromise, leading to mounting frustration within the White House.
Speaking Friday, Secretary Rubio warned that the U.S. was prepared to “move on” from peace efforts if tangible progress was not achieved in the coming days. Trump echoed Rubio’s concerns, calling him “right,” but struck a more optimistic tone, saying, “No specific number of days, but quickly—we want to get it done.”
The U.S. plans to continue discussions with European and Ukrainian partners next week in London to finalize parts of the proposed framework.
