US could recognize Crimea as Russian territory as part of potential accord: Bloomberg

The region voted to secede from Ukraine and rejoin Russia in 2014 shortly after the US-backed coup in Kiev.

Ukrainian authorities have refused to recognize Moscow’s sovereignty over the peninsula, which is predominantly ethnically Russian, and have long insisted on restoring their country’s 1991 borders.

Bloomberg cited its sources as saying that the White House has not yet made a final decision on the matter.

The top US negotiator, Steve Witkoff, said after a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin last week that the talks hinged on the status of Crimea and four other Russian regions claimed by Kiev.

According to Bloomberg, the US presented its European allies on Thursday with a plan to freeze the fighting along the current front line and ease sanctions on Moscow as part of a ceasefire.

Both US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio hinted this week that Washington could abandon efforts to broker a deal between Russia and Ukraine if no significant progress is made soon.

Russia has demanded that, in order to assure a lasting peace, Ukraine must renounce its territorial claims and withdraw its troops from the parts of the Russian regions it still controls.