The peace proposal includes an immediate ceasefire between the two countries. The framework was shared with the Ukrainian and European officials in Paris on Thursday
The United States is ready to recognise Russian control over Crimea as part of a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine, CNN reported, citing an official familiar with the proposed framework.
The peace proposal includes an immediate ceasefire between the two countries. The framework was shared with the Ukrainian and European officials in Paris on Thursday.
A phone call regarding this proposal also took place between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, CNN reported, quoting sources.
However, there are some pieces that still need to be filled out, and the US is planning to work with Europe and Ukraine on that next week in London, the source said.
Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 following a military invasion — a move widely condemned as illegal by the international community.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly refused to cede the territory to Russia.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump also signalled the US may “take a pass” on its efforts to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine if either side makes negotiations too difficult, CNN reported.
“If, for some reason, one of the two parties makes it very difficult, we’re just going to say, ‘You’re foolish, you’re foolish. You’re horrible people,’ and we’re just going to take a pass,” Trump said.
Despite the warning, Trump expressed cautious optimism about securing a deal, CNN reported. “I think we have a really good chance of getting it done. It’s coming to a head right now,” he added.
Trump’s remarks came after a statement by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who suggested abandoning the peace efforts in Ukraine within “days.”
Speaking in Paris after high-level talks with European, Ukrainian, and Russian officials, Rubio stressed the urgency of determining whether the war can be ended or not.
“We need to determine very quickly now, and I’m talking about a matter of days, whether or not this is doable,” he told reporters before departing Paris.
Following President Vladimir Putin’s announcement of a 30-hour ceasefire in observance of Easter, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed that Russian forces carried out attacks, citing a total of 387 shelling incidents and 19 assaults.
Zelenskyy further said that despite Russia’s declared truce, Ukrainian frontline units recorded 59 cases of shelling and 5 assaults, along with multiple combat engagements across the Donetsk, Starobilsk, and Zaporizhzhia sectors.
In a post on X on Sunday (local time), Zelenskyy wrote, “A report by Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi on the frontline as of 6:00 a.m. Across various frontline directions, there have already been 59 cases of Russian shelling and 5 assaults by Russian units. In the sector of the Starobilsk Operational Tactical Group, one combat engagement was documented. In the Donetsk OTG sector, there were three combat engagements – in the Pokrovsk and Novopavlivka directions, and one combat engagement took place near Stepove in the Zaporizhzhia direction. The enemy carried out dozens of FPV drone strikes.”
“In the Kursk region, Russian forces conducted artillery strikes and used drones. Everywhere, our warriors are responding as the enemy deserves, based on the specific combat situation. Ukraine will continue to act symmetrically. Between 6:00 pm yesterday and midnight today, there were 387 instances of shelling and 19 assaults by Russian forces. Drones were used by Russians 290 times,” he added.
The Ukrainian President further emphasised that while Russia seeks to create the impression of a ceasefire, Ukraine will continue to respond accordingly.
“Overall, as of Easter morning, we can state that the Russian army is attempting to create the general impression of a ceasefire, while in some areas still continuing isolated attempts to advance and inflict losses on Ukraine. Russia must fully comply with the conditions of the ceasefire. Ukraine’s proposal to implement and extend the ceasefire for 30 days after midnight tonight remains on the table. We will act in accordance with the actual situation on the ground,” Zelenskyy added.
Zelenskyy on Saturday alleged that the Russian offensive has not “subsided” despite Moscow declaring a ceasefire on the occasion of Easter.
In a post on X, Zelenskyy said that Russian assault operations are ongoing on several frontline sectors and there is no “trust” in Moscow’s words.
“As of now, according to the Commander-in-Chief reports, Russian assault operations continue on several frontline sectors, and Russian artillery fire has not subsided. Therefore, there is no trust in words coming from Moscow. We know all too well how Moscow manipulates, and we are prepared for anything,” Zelenskyy wrote on X.
Zelenskyy also stated that Russia has rejected the proposal for a full and unconditional 30-day ceasefire, noting that the 30-hour Easter ceasefire is insufficient for building “genuine confidence”.
In a video shared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of Russia on X, President Putin said, “The Russian Side announces an Easter ceasefire from 06:00 pm today to 00:00 am Monday. This is done for humanitarian reasons. I hereby order all military operations ceased for this period.”
This is the second ceasefire to be announced since the conflict began in 2022. A previous attempt at a ceasefire during Orthodox Christmas in January 2023 failed after both sides were unable to agree on a proposal. (ANI)
