The issue was reportedly discussed during talks in London involving European and Ukrainian officials, which were, however, downgraded after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced he would not attend. Despite this, one official told the WaPo that the talks “made progress” in terms of convincing Kiev that concessions may be unavoidable.

Western negotiators are said to have a sense that Ukraine “may be willing to endure effective Russian control of Crimea,” provided Kiev is not required to legally recognize this reality. The peninsula overwhelmingly voted to join Russia in 2014 following a Western-backed coup in Kiev.

Many Ukrainians, however, are reluctant to renounce future claims to Crimea, viewing any territorial compromise as setting a “dangerous precedent” for potential formal recognition of Moscow’s control over four other former Ukrainian regions that voted to join Russia in 2022.

This comes as the US has clashed with European nations and Kiev over their vision for a Ukraine peace arrangement, with the sides presenting different proposals on the terms for ending the conflict, according to a Reuters report, which was confirmed by the WaPo.

In particular, US envoy Steve Witkoff reportedly proposed that Washington recognize Crimea as Russian and accept Moscow’s de facto control over large parts of the other four regions. Meanwhile, Ukraine and its European supporters, however, reportedly continue to resist any mention of territorial recognition in the proposed agreements. Their version of a peace framework postpones territorial issues until after a ceasefire and emphasizes the necessity of strong security guarantees for Kiev.

For Europe and Ukraine, “it is not only reasonable but necessary to push back on some elements of the US proposal, as it gives Ukraine practically very, very little. And Russia a lot,” a Western official told the WaPo. The report also noted that Europe is trying to “edge Washington toward a more reasonable agreement,” including the recognition that a ceasefire must be an essential first step.

The WaPo report comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin held lengthy talks on Friday with Witkoff at the Kremlin on Friday. Presidential adviser Yury Ushakov described the meeting as “constructive and very useful” in nature,” adding that the talks included the idea of possibly resuming direct negotiations between Moscow and Kiev.

Trump, commenting on the state of the negotiations, said Ukraine and Russia “should now meet, at very high levels, to ‘finish it off.’ Most of the major points are agreed to.”

In a Truth Social post published shortly after he met with President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Vatican, Trump said that “there was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days.”

Russia has intensified its strikes against civilian areas in Ukraine as Trump pushes for a peace deal, with a Russian attack killing at least 12 civilians and injuring around 90 in Kyiv on April 24.

“It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through banking or secondary sanctions?” Trump added.

The U.S. president has repeatedly threatened economic repercussions against Russia over its delays in peace talks, but has yet to make the move.

The comments also come as unusual criticism against Putin, as Trump has largely adopted amicable rhetoric toward the Russian leader while being more critical of Zelensky.

Earlier this week, Trump accused Zelensky of harming negotiations after the Ukrainian leader ruled out recognizing Russian annexation of Crimea as part of a potential peace deal.

The U.S. peace proposal has reportedly included Washington de jure recognizing Russia’s hold over the peninsula, as well as de facto accepting Russian control over other regions in the Ukrainian east and south.

In turn, Ukraine and its European allies reportedly shared a proposal calling for robust security guarantees, a full and unconditional ceasefire, and no discussion of territorial concessions before a truce is established.

Zelensky and Trump met on the sidelines of Pope Francis’s funeral in the Vatican earlier on April 26, marking their first meeting since their explosive encounter in the White House in February.

Zelensky stated the meeting has the potential to become “historic” and focused on a ceasefire and ways to ensure sustainable peace.