The potential concession is the latest motivation for accepting a peace agreement, according to the agency. So far, Putin has not agreed to Trump's proposal for a broad peace agreement.
On Friday, Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the administration is ready to abandon efforts to establish peace if rapid progress is not achieved.
Crimea was seized by the Kremlin in 2014 as a result of an invasion and subsequent referendum held under occupation, and the international community does not recognize the peninsula as Russian, considering it an illegal annexation.
Recognizing Crimea as Russian could undermine international laws and treaties prohibiting the seizure of land by force. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly stated that he will not cede territory to Moscow. Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin has long sought international recognition of Russian sovereignty over Crimea.
On Thursday in Paris, the US presented allies with proposals for a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine, including a draft of conditions for ceasing hostilities and easing sanctions against Moscow in the event of a lasting ceasefire, the agency Bloomberg reported earlier. According to the publication's interlocutors, the proposal mainly involves freezing the front line, while most other Ukrainian territories currently occupied by Russia will effectively remain under Moscow's control. Kyiv's aspiration to join NATO will also not be discussed.
Trump's proposal will need to be further coordinated with Europe and Ukraine, which may reject the concessions outlined by Trump, the agency notes. One official told Bloomberg that the US plans, which need further discussion with Kyiv, will not be a final settlement, adding that European allies will not recognize the occupied territories as Russian
Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff, who has met with Putin three times, said this week on Fox News that the key to a general agreement lies around “five territories,” without providing more detailed information. “We do not discuss territories until a ceasefire,” replied Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. “We will never consider Ukrainian lands as Russian.”
Photo: Dan Kitwood