Media: Europe furious as US floats Crimea concession in peace plan

The United States is reportedly prepared to recognise Russia’s control over Crimea and other occupied Ukrainian territories as part of a proposed deal to end the war. The move—described as a significant break from longstanding US diplomatic convention—has raised alarm among European allies, who fear Washington may pressure Kyiv into a suboptimal settlement, The Telegraph reports.

US President Donald Trump has dispatched his peace envoy, Steve Witkoff, along with his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, to Moscow to present the offer directly to Vladimir Putin. One well-placed source noted growing concern in Europe, saying: “It’s increasingly clear the Americans don’t care about the European position. They say the Europeans can do whatever they want.”

On November 27, Russia’s president said that Washington’s legal recognition of Crimea and the Donetsk and Luhansk regions as Russian territory would be a central issue in negotiations over the US president’s peace plan. The Kremlin confirmed that it had received a revised peace strategy drafted after emergency talks between Ukrainian and American officials last weekend in Geneva.

An initial 28-point plan—prepared by Witkoff following consultations with Russian officials—proposed America’s “de facto” recognition of Crimea and the two Donbas regions, as well as areas behind the current line of contact in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, pending a ceasefire. In Geneva, Ukrainian and US officials narrowed the proposal to a 19-point plan considered less favourable to Moscow, though sources state that elements of US recognition remain.

Kyiv, however, cannot legally recognise Russia’s territorial claims. Andriy Yermak, chief of staff to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, emphasised in an interview with The Atlantic: “Not a single sane person today would sign a document to give up territory… The constitution prohibits this. Nobody can do that unless they want to go against the Ukrainian constitution and the Ukrainian people.”

Yermak and national security adviser Rustem Umerov are expected to travel to Florida for further talks at Mar-a-Lago. The revised proposal reportedly leaves the most contentious issues—particularly territorial questions—to be determined only after direct negotiations between Zelenskyy and Trump.

European governments, meanwhile, insist they will not support any agreement that legitimises territorial changes achieved by force. Their own counter-proposal avoids any recognition of Russian control, stating: “Territorial issues will be discussed and resolved after a full and unconditional ceasefire.”

Concerns have intensified following leaked phone calls in which Witkoff appeared to coach Russian officials on how to influence the White House—conversations that referenced Ukraine giving up Donetsk. Open-source intelligence analysts suggest a European agency may have released the recordings to expose growing coordination between Trump’s envoy and the Kremlin.

By Vafa Guliyeva