Donald Trump appears open to the possibility of recognizing Crimea as Russian territory to persuade Russia to end the war in Ukraine, according to American news site Semafor. Such a move could align Trump’s administration with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s stance, who has long considered Crimea part of Russia. Government officials have also discussed the possibility of the U.S. encouraging the UN to do the same. This ‘opening’ towards Russia comes as Trump prepares for a Tuesday (18/03/2025) phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, with a potential 30-day ceasefire agreement on the table. On Sunday evening (16/03/2025), Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that negotiators had already discussed ‘the allocation of certain assets.’ While Trump hasn’t made an official decision yet, a possible proposal regarding Crimea is among the many options being considered by his administration to end the war. The White House declined to comment. In a statement to Semafor following the article’s publication, National Security Council representative Brian Huey stated that the government ‘has not made any such commitment and will not negotiate this agreement through the press.’ ‘Just two weeks ago, both Ukraine and Russia were miles apart from a ceasefire agreement, and now we are closer to an agreement thanks to President Trump’s leadership,’ Huey added. Trump administration officials have openly discussed the need for Ukraine to make territorial concessions to Russia to end the three-year conflict, while Trump himself has previously expressed willingness to consider Crimea as part of Russia. However, since taking office, Trump’s advisors haven’t publicly revealed many details about what they might offer Putin. Ukrainian officials, including Foreign Minister Marco Rubio, acknowledged the suffering endured by their people but noted that concessions may be necessary to prevent further bloodshed. Official U.S. recognition of Crimea—illegally annexed by Russia from Ukraine in 2014—would likely provoke significant backlash from Europe and Kyiv, where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has strongly opposed territorial concessions. Despite U.S., Ukrainian, and much of the international community’s recognition of Crimea as Ukrainian territory, security experts doubt Ukraine’s military capability to reclaim it. Even Zelenskyy admitted that restoring Ukrainian land might only be possible through diplomacy, which Russia is unlikely to agree to. Trump first brought up recognizing Crimea as Russian territory years before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. During his 2016 presidential campaign and later during his first term, Trump repeatedly said he would ‘consider’ whether the U.S. should recognize it. ‘The people of Crimea, as far as I’ve heard, would rather be with Russia than where they were,’ Trump said in a 2018 ABC News interview. ‘And you have to look at that too.’ According to White House representative Carolyn Levitt, the peace process in Ukraine has never been closer. She emphasized that ‘we have never been closer to peace than we are right now’ ahead of Trump’s communication with Putin on Tuesday. Levitt did not provide specifics about the scheduled call between Trump and Putin but expressed optimism that talks between the leaders of the U.S. and Russia could lead to an agreement to end the war in Ukraine.