THE TELEGRAPH: US president sends envoys to Moscow with peace plan that recognises Russia’s war gains
The United States is poised to recognise Russia’s control over Crimea and other occupied Ukrainian territories to secure a deal to end the war.
The Telegraph understands that Donald Trump has sent his peace envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner to make the direct offer to Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
The plan to recognise territory, which breaks US diplomatic convention, is likely to go ahead despite concerns among Ukraine’s European allies.
One well-placed source said: “It’s increasingly clear the Americans don’t care about the European position. They say the Europeans can do whatever they want.”
Russia’s president on Thursday said Washington’s legal recognition of Crimea and the Donetsk and Luhansk regions as Russian territory would be one of the key issues in negotiations over the US president’s peace plan.
The Kremlin on Friday said it had received a revised strategy for ending the war drawn up after emergency talks between Ukrainian and American officials in Geneva, Switzerland, last weekend.
An initial 28-point peace plan, formulated by Mr Witkoff after discussions with Russian officials, offered America’s “de facto” recognition of Crimea and the two eastern Donbas regions.
The strategy also proposed “de facto” recognition of Russian-held land behind the line of contact in Ukraine’s Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions after any ceasefire agreement. » | Joe Barnes, Brussels Correspondent | Friday, November 28, 2025
