US may accept Russian control of Crimea in peace talks with Ukraine

Washington, April 19 (IANS) The US is reportedly prepared to recognise Russian control of the Ukrainian region of Crimea as part of a broader peace agreement between Moscow and Kyiv, a media report said.

The potential concession is the latest signal that President Donald Trump is eager to cement a ceasefire deal, and comes as he and Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested on Friday that the administration is prepared to move on from its peace-brokering efforts unless progress is made quickly.

Crimea was taken by the Kremlin in 2014 following an invasion and subsequent referendum held under occupation, and the international community has resisted recognising the peninsula as Russian to avoid legitimising the illegal annexation.

Doing so risks undermining international laws and treaties prohibiting the taking of land through use of force.

But the move would be a boon for Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has long sought international recognition of Russian sovereignty in Crimea.

Putin so far has refused to agree to Trump's proposal for a broad peace deal.

The people said a final decision on the matter hadn't yet been taken.

The White House and State Department did not respond to a request for comment.

A US official familiar with the negotiations, asked about the possibility of recognising Crimea, declined to comment on the details of the talks.

"The longer this drags on, the harder it gets to justify our involvement," Trump told reporters, adding that if either side continues to delay the process, the US would stop pushing for a deal.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has opposed any proposal to surrender land to Russia.

He has repeatedly said that Ukraine will not accept any territory, including Crimea, as Russian.

Speaking in Kyiv on Thursday, he lashed out at Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff for allegedly adopting a pro-Russian stance.

"We will never consider Ukrainian lands as Russian," Zelensky said.

"There can be no discussion about our territory before a ceasefire."

Meanwhile, negotiations are taking place behind the scenes.

US officials recently made proposals in Paris to European allies, setting out a plan that would freeze the existing battles and permit a gradual relaxation of sanctions on Moscow if a permanent ceasefire is reached.

The plan would also take Ukraine's aspirations to join NATO off the negotiating table — a long-standing Russian requirement.

The negotiations in Paris brought together officials from the US, France, Germany, the UK, and Ukraine.

In a private meeting, French President Emmanuel Macron and US envoy Witkoff also discussed what peacekeeping operations and ceasefire monitoring could be like in case of a negotiated agreement.

But Russia has little enthusiasm for a partial ceasefire.

The Kremlin just ended a 30-day ceasefire in attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure and still targets Ukrainian cities.

Last week, 35 were killed in Ukraine's Sumy in a Russian missile attack.

However, Kyiv is convinced that further talks can only be held if Russia too commits itself to stop attacking.

--IANS

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