U.S. Proposes Recognizing Crimea as Russian Ahead of New Round of Talks

 

U.S. Proposes Recognizing Crimea as Russian Ahead of New Round of Talks

Ukrainian and European officials meeting in London on Wednesday will be faced with a fast-moving U.S. proposal to recognize Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea and freeze the war’s front lines as part of a peace agreement, according to several people familiar with internal deliberations.

Ukraine’s allies are hoping to win security guarantees and reconstruction programs for the embattled country in exchange for any such territorial concessions.

The U.S. proposals, presented to Ukraine in Paris last week, include having Washington formally recognize annexed Crimea as Russian territory and eventually lifting sanctions against Russia under a future accord, according to three people familiar with the matter. In exchange, Moscow would end hostilities in Ukraine at a time when Russia’s military enjoys battlefield momentum and sizable advantages in troop strength and weaponry.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told reporters Tuesday that Ukraine would not recognize Crimea as Russian, noting that it would violate the country’s constitution to do so. Discussing Crimea and other Ukrainian territory aids Russia, he said, by allowing Moscow to continue the war, because “it will not be possible to agree on everything quickly.”
— The Washington Post

Our Take: Putin had three demands ahead of the Ukrainian SMO:

1. The Donbas shall be recognized as Russian.

2. Ukraine will NOT join NATO.

3. Crimea will NOT be returned to Ukraine.

Trump has already publicly recognized two of three.

The third is coming, because the deals are already done. — Burning Bright

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Another Take: My best guess is that neither Ukraine nor Gaza/Israel will be resolved when President Trump and President Putin meet in Riyadh in a few weeks. The world will be burning, at least narratively, and chaos will dominate the zeitgeist.

Both regimes (Zelensky/Netanyahu) have their backs up against the wall, fighting wars that have lost public support, yet neither leader can afford to stop.

Bringing the chaos to heel will require the strongest wills and the most capable of leaders. Putin and Trump have the opportunity to do something special, something that will forever change US-Russia relations — and with that, forever change world history. — GhostofBasedPatrickHenry