In return, the president of Russia is said to seek U.S. recognition of Crimea as Russian territory and a guarantee that Ukraine will not join NATO as part of a potential peace agreement.
Poland’s state news agency PAP, citing three sources quoted by the Financial Times, reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin recently told U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff during a meeting in St. Petersburg that Moscow may be willing to drop its claims to parts of four Ukrainian regions still controlled by Kyiv.
Russia currently occupies sections of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions but declared the annexation of all of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, and Luhansk in late 2022. Crimea was annexed by Russia in 2014.
Following the reported proposal to Witkoff, U.S. officials have begun floating the idea of a peace agreement that would include formal American recognition of Russia’s annexation of Crimea.
Putin signals shift in war goals amid growing pressure on Kyiv
The Financial Times reports that this is the first clear sign in three years that Putin may be retreating from his maximalist war objectives. However, European officials caution that this could be a strategic move aimed at winning over Donald Trump and paving the way for broader Russian demands to be forced on Ukraine.
Pressure is mounting on Kyiv to make concessions that could allow Trump to claim a diplomatic victory. Diplomats from the US, Ukraine, France, and the UK are meeting in London this week, following earlier discussions in Paris, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warning that Washington may pull out if no progress is made.
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt confirmed that US envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Russia for further talks, as President Trump hopes negotiations will move "in the right direction."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated his call for a just and swift peace but warned that negotiating within a framework set by Moscow could prolong the war.
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Source: PAP/Financial Times/X/@FT