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Donald Trump could Recognize Russia’s illegal occupation of Crimea and other occupied territories, according to one report, in appeasement of the Kremlin’s key demands for a peace agreement.
The US President is said to have sent special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner to Moscow with the express intention of Vladimir Putin offers to recognize US-occupied territories In exchange for a peace agreement.
A source told Wire: “It is becoming clear that the Americans do not care about the European situation. They say that the Europeans can do whatever they want.”
Russia has refused to back down from its extreme demands for a deal to end its war in Ukraine. On Thursday, Putin said that his forces would do so Fight “until the last Ukrainian dies”, Scary comments that underline Moscow’s reluctance to engage in the peace process. Meanwhile, Europe is making the case to Washington that Kiev should be guaranteed regional sovereignty and security in any deal.
Putin said Thursday that when Russian officials speak to Witkoff next week the focus will be on Washington’s legal recognition of Crimea and Donbass as Russian.
Independent The White House has been contacted for comment.
Ukraine’s top negotiator, Andriy Yermak, said in his swan song interview before resigning on Friday that Zelensky would never allow Ukraine to cede land to Russia and that “not a single sane person today would sign a document to leave the territory”.
Ukraine is engaged in efforts to find a mutually acceptable solution to end the war, but has repeatedly refused to hand over its eastern industrial region of Donbass, which is coveted by Putin. Zelensky’s government is bound under its constitution not to abandon it.
The original 28-point plan introduced by the Trump administration suggested that Washington could recognize Crimea, Luhansk and Donetsk as de facto Russia. Kherson and Zaporizhia on the frozen front will be recognized as de facto Russian.
Europe was incensed by the absurd offer to effectively cede Ukrainian territory and last week counter-proposed that negotiations should start from the back burner.
Kiev and the US worked over the weekend to overcome fundamental differences and both delegations came away hailing the progress. But Russia has yet to agree to the terms, and is stuck on the issue of giving back the territory it has captured since the war began in February 2022.
Putin said on Thursday, “Ukrainian troops must withdraw from the territories they occupy, and then the fighting will stop. If they do not withdraw, we will achieve it by force. That’s all.”
The Kremlin said on Friday that Moscow was working on the assumption that it was negotiating a peace plan only with the United States.
Russia also hopes to have information on agreed points of the proposed peace plan by the time Witkoff and his delegation arrive next week, Interfax reports.
Kiev kept up the pressure on Friday as Russia’s Defense Ministry reported downing 136 drones overnight in several areas, including the Crimean peninsula. Damage to cars, residential buildings and homes was reported by local authorities in the Rostov and Voronezh regions of Russia.
Meanwhile, Russia continues to claim gains in and around the beleaguered city of Pokrovsk. Putin said on Thursday that Russian forces now control 70 percent of the vital transportation hub. On Friday, the Defense Ministry said Ukrainian troops had been evacuated from more than 6,500 buildings last week due to fierce fighting.
Moscow is trying to take full control of Pokrovsk by mid-2024 as part of its effort to take over the entire Donbass industrial region.