The Trump administration is considering formally recognizing Crimea as Russian territory as part of efforts to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, according to two sources familiar with the discussions as reported by Semafor.
Officials are also exploring the possibility of urging the United Nations to recognize Russian sovereignty over the peninsula, which Moscow illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014, the sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the deliberations.
The considerations come as President Donald Trump prepares for a Tuesday phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, with a potential 30-day ceasefire agreement on the agenda.
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“We have discussed dividing up certain assets,” Trump told reporters Sunday aboard Air Force One, without specifically mentioning Crimea.
The White House declined to comment on the potential policy shift. Following initial reporting on the matter, National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said in a statement that the administration has “made no such commitments and we will not negotiate this deal through the media.”
“Just two weeks ago, both Ukraine and Russia were miles apart on a ceasefire agreement, and we are now closer to a deal thanks to the leadership of President Trump,” Hughes added.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged last week that Ukraine might need to make territorial concessions. “Ukrainians have suffered greatly and their people have suffered greatly, and it’s hard in the aftermath of something like that to even talk about concessions,” Rubio told reporters. “But that’s the only way this is going to end to prevent more suffering.”
Any U.S. recognition of Russian control over Crimea would align with Putin’s long-held position but would likely face strong opposition from European allies and Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has consistently rejected territorial concessions as part of any peace agreement.
Trump previously indicated openness to recognizing Russian control of Crimea during his first term in office. “The people of Crimea, from what I’ve heard, would rather be with Russia than where they were,” he said in a 2018 interview.
Most of the international community officially consider Crimea Ukrainian territory since Russia’s annexation, despite Moscow’s de facto control of the region for the past decade. Türkiye on Monday released a statement reiterating this stance.
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