Investigators said the vessel had loaded around 5,000 tons of stolen Ukrainian wheat from the Russian-occupied port city of Sevastopol in late 2024 and attempted to disguise its operations by sailing under the flag of an Asian country.
U.S. President Donald Trump believes the Ukrainian leader “really has no choice” but to agree to the terms, according to a source close to U.S Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.
"We are ready for dialogue in any... format, at any time, but only after a real signal that Russia is ready to end the war," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Key developments on April 25: * High-ranking Russian general killed in car bombing near Moscow, as Witkoff meets with Putin * Full text of US peace proposal at odds with Ukrainian, EU positions, Reuters reports * Trump says Crimea 'will stay with Russia,' blames Ukraine's NATO aspirations for war * Putin, US envoy
Comments from Kyiv's mayor Vitali Klitschko that Ukraine may be forced to temporarily give up some territories to Russia have been met with dismay by Ukrainian lawmakers who spoke to the Kyiv Independent. "No politician in Ukraine is authorized to change Ukraine's borders — this is the sovereign right of the
For nearly two years in Russian captivity, Leniie Umerova clung to a single hope: that one day, she would return home — to Crimea. “I thought about Crimea all the time,” Umerova told the Kyiv Independent. “I dreamed of going there without the permission of the occupying forces, without going through
An unnamed senior European official told the FT that the Trump administration had already been informed that European capitals would not recognize Crimea as Russian.
The post seems to refer to the U.S. reportedly proposing de jure recognition of Russian control over the southern Ukrainian peninsula, which Russia has occupied since 2014.
"I just want to see the war end, I don’t care," Trump told reporters. "If they’re both happy, they both sign an agreement, I have no favorites. I don’t want to have any favorites. I want to have a deal done."
Key developments on April 23: * US expects territorial concessions from Russia, Ukraine in potential peace deal * Ukraine insists on unconditional ceasefire at London peace talks * Trump says 'nobody is asking' Ukraine to recognize Crimea as Russian * 'Groundless accusations, political manipulations' — China reacts to Ukraine summoning its envoy * Ukrainian drone strike
The U.S. is reportedly considering officially recognizing Russian control over occupied Crimea as part of a potential peace agreement — a territorial concession that would kill the existing world order and is deemed unacceptable by Ukraine. According to Axios, the Trump administration's final proposal for ending Russia's all-out war against
Ukraine is facing a crossroads in its fight against Russia's full-scale invasion, with the possibility of being forced to reject an unfavorable peace deal being imposed under huge pressure from the U.S.
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.
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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