 "The net result is that the Russian president is in a position where he sees the opportunity to impose a Russian-designed peace settlement on Ukraine. Representational image: Reuters File")
The United States is willing to accept Russian control of Crimea as part of a peace deal with Ukraine, CNN reported, citing a source familiar with the plan.
The proposal includes an immediate ceasefire and was shared with Ukrainian and European officials in Paris on Thursday.
According to the CNN report, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held a phone conversation and discussed the peace proposal.
A source said some parts of the plan still need to be worked out, and the US will meet with European and Ukrainian officials in London next week to continue talks.
Russia took control of Crimea in 2014 from Ukraine following a military invasion — a move most of the world considers illegal and does not recognise, including the referendum held there.
Zelenskyy rules out territorial concessions
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rejected any suggestion of handing over territory to Russia. He has made it clear that Ukraine will never accept Russian control over any part of its land, including Crimea. He also criticised Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff on Thursday for what he called a pro-Russian approach to ending the war.
“We will never consider Ukrainian lands as Russian,” Zelenskyy said. “There can be no discussion about our territory before a ceasefire.”
US might step back from brokering the peace deal
Meanwhile, Donald Trump suggested the US might step back from trying to broker peace if either side makes negotiations too difficult.
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More Shorts“If one of the two parties makes it very difficult, we’ll just say, ‘You’re being foolish,’ and walk away,” Trump said.
Still, Trump sounded more hopeful about reaching a peace deal between the two nations. “I think we have a really good chance. It’s all coming to a head,” he said.
Trump’s comments followed Rubio’s statement in Paris, where the Secretary said the US may abandon peace efforts within days if no progress is made.
“We need to quickly figure out if this can work,” Rubio said after talks with European, Ukrainian, and Russian officials.