The Trump administration is considering recognizing Ukrainian Crimea as Russian territory as part of any future agreement to end Moscow's war with Kyiv, reported two sources to Semafor. According to both sources, administration officials are also discussing the possibility of the US urging the UN to do the same.
It was previously not reported that the administration was open to such options as Trump prepares for talks with Vladimir Putin, during which the possibility of a 30-day ceasefire agreement will be discussed. On Sunday evening aboard Air Force One, Trump told reporters that negotiators had already discussed the "division of some assets."
Trump administration representatives openly state that Ukraine needs to make territorial concessions to Russia to end the three-year war, and the president himself has previously said he is willing to consider Crimea as part of Russia. However, since Trump took office, his advisors have not publicly disclosed what they might offer Putin.
Ukrainians "have suffered greatly, their people have suffered greatly, and after such hardship, it's hard even to talk about concessions," Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters last week. "But it's the only way to end this, to prevent further suffering."
If the US officially recognizes Crimea, which Russia seized and illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014, it will likely provoke a huge backlash from Europe and Kyiv. The US and much of the international community have recognized Crimea as Ukrainian territory, despite Russia's occupation of the peninsula.
At the same time, security experts seriously doubt the ability of Ukrainian forces to reclaim Crimea militarily. Even Zelensky acknowledged last year that Ukrainian territory could only be regained diplomatically, which Russia is unlikely to agree to.
Trump first voiced the prospect of recognizing Crimea as Russian territory several years before Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. While running for president in 2016 and then during his first term, he repeatedly said he would "consider" whether the US should recognize Crimea.