Washington DC: The United States is ready to recognise Russian control over Crimea as part of a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine, CNN reported, citing an official familiar with the proposed framework.The peace proposal includes an immediate ceasefire between the two countries. The framework was shared with the Ukrainian and European officials in Paris on Thursday.
A phone call regarding this proposal also took place between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, CNN reported, quoting sources. However, there are some pieces that still need to be filled out, and the US is planning to work with Europe and Ukraine on that next week in London, the source said.
Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 following a military invasion -- a move widely condemned as illegal by the international community. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly refused to cede the territory to Russia.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump also signalled the US may "take a pass" on its efforts to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine if either side makes negotiations too difficult, CNN reported. "If, for some reason, one of the two parties makes it very difficult, we're just going to say, 'You're foolish, you're foolish. You're horrible people,' and we're just going to take a pass," Trump said.
Despite the warning, Trump expressed cautious optimism about securing a deal, CNN reported. "I think we have a really good chance of getting it done. It's coming to a head right now," he added. Trump's remarks came after a statement by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who suggested abandoning the peace efforts in Ukraine within "days."
Speaking in Paris after high-level talks with European, Ukrainian, and Russian officials, Rubio stressed the urgency of determining whether the war can be ended or not. "We need to determine very quickly now, and I'm talking about a matter of days, whether or not this is doable," he told reporters before departing Paris.