The U.S. media outlet Axios reported on April 23 that the U.S. President Donald Trump administration's final proposal for ending the Russia-Ukraine war included the U.S. de jure recognizing Russia's annexation of Crimea and de facto recognizing its control of other occupied Ukrainian territories. We asked Kyiv residents for their reactions to the U.S. proposal.
"Nobody is asking (President Volodymyr) Zelensky to recognize Crimea as Russian Territory, but if he wants Crimea, why didn’t they fight for it eleven years ago when it was handed over to Russia without a shot being fired?" U.S. President Donald Trump wrote.
Formally recognizing Crimea as Russian would breach international law and potentially open the door to further global conflicts, experts warn.
Reports that the U.S. could formally give de jure recognition to Russia's control over Crimea have landed like a bombshell in Kyiv.
"Crimea is Ukraine. It means a lot for the ones who are occupied that others don't recognize this as Russian."
"There is nothing to talk about. This violates our Constitution. This is our territory, the territory of the people of Ukraine," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
"Crimea is the homeland of the indigenous Crimean Tatar people and an integral part of Ukraine. Accordingly, no one can decide the fate of Crimea under any circumstances, except for the Ukrainian state and the Crimean Tatar people," said Refat Chubarov.
U.S. President Donald Trump declared that Russia and Ukraine could reach a war-ending deal "this week," as his team threatens that Washington could ditch the peace talks efforts if no step is taken in the near future. "Both will then start to do big business with the United States
The chair of the Ukrainian parliament's foreign affairs committee compared the potential decision to Western appeasement of Adolf Hitler that led to World War II.
Among the most controversial elements is the suggestion that the U.S. could formally recognize Russia’s claim over Crimea. Additionally, Ukrainian accession to NATO would be ruled out under the current proposal.
"There is currently panic in the units of the Russian Black Sea Fleet," the Atesh group said in a post on Telegram.
Recognizing Russia’s control of Crimea would mark a significant win for Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has long pushed for international legitimacy over the territory.
As U.S. officials continue to push for a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, five Ukrainian territories have emerged as a central focus — and sticking point — in the negotiations. “This peace deal is about these so-called five territories,” U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff said in comments to Fox News
Friedrich Merz, Germany’s chancellor-in-waiting, has suggested that long-range Taurus missiles, if delivered to Ukraine, could be used to target strategic Russian military infrastructure in Crimea, including the Kerch Bridge, a key supply route linking Russia to the occupied peninsula.
A London court found the 48-year-old guilty of circumventing sanctions between February 2023 and January 2024 on six out of seven counts.
HUR claimed drones operated by its "Prymary" special unit struck a Tor M2 short-range air defense system, and two Russian landing craft operating at sea.
U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff recently claimed that the majority of people in Ukraine's Russian-occupied territories had participated in referendums and "indicated that they want to be under Russian rule." Witkoff's claim is false in many ways. Witkoff referred to the Russian sham vote on the annexation of Ukraine's
President Volodymyr Zelensky's statement comes days after reports that the Trump administration was considering recognizing Crimea as Russian territory as part of a broader deal to end Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine.
Following Ukraine's declaration of independence on Aug. 24, 1991, Vitold Fokin became the country's first prime minister and served until Oct. 1, 1992.
The potential move comes as U.S. President Donald Trump prepares for a call with Vladimir Putin on March 18, with a proposed 30-day ceasefire on the table.
The disruptions have targeted Eutelsat and SES, Europe’s main satellite providers, which support television, radio, and aviation navigation systems.
The Atesh partisan group sabotaged a railway line linking parts of occupied Crimea with the front line in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, disrupting Russian supply lines, the group claimed via Telegram on March 9.
The movie won Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Actress (Mikey Madison), Best Director (Sean Baker), Best Editing, and Best Original Screenplay (Sean Baker).
"Canada is not ready for a change in the membership of the G7 and is standing its ground," Canadian Ambassador to Ukraine Natalka Cmoc said.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has approved sanctions against 57 captains of Russia’s "shadow fleet," a group of tankers routinely used to evade sanctions targeting Russia's oil trade, and 55 individuals involved in looting Ukraine’s cultural heritage in occupied Crimea.
On the night of Dec. 15, 2024, two Russian oil tankers, Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239, sank in the Kerch Strait, a narrow maritime connection between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, off the coast of occupied Crimea. Both vessels were constructed for service on rivers, not on the open
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law banning "childfree propaganda" in November last year.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the U.S. has been "fund(ing) a stalemate" that "set (Ukraine) back a 100 years" and called for a swift resolution.
Somewhere in the streets of Russian-occupied Simferopol, the capital of Crimea, a woman puts a sticker on the wall. It’s a short message, but if she is seen doing it, she will face arrest, prosecution, and likely, torture. The message is: "Soon, we will be home again." On another
Trump's territorial ambitions and disregard for international norms are "serious, and potentially very dangerous," a senior European Official told the Financial Times.
Russian actor Yura Borisov, who has previously starred in Russian propaganda films and illegally visited Russian-occupied Crimea, has received an Academy Award nomination for his role in the film "Anora."
Fleeing a Ukrainian counteroffensive, Russian forces collectively stole more than 33,000 historical artifacts and works of art. This museum theft is the largest in Europe since World War II.
Russia invaded Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in February 2014 amid the deadliest days of the EuroMaidan Revolution that eventually ousted pro-Russian ex-President Viktor Yanukovych. Around 30,000 Russian troops crossed into Crimea, taking hold of the peninsula by early March 2014.
This event effectively began Russia's ongoing war against Ukraine. The Russian military has continued to occupy Crimea ever since. Many countries have openly opposed the illegal annexation of Crimea and continue to recognize Crimea as being part of Ukraine.
Crimea covers an area of around 27,000 square kilometers (10,400 square miles), which is roughly the same size as the U.S. state of Massachusetts.
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