Shocked by US peace proposal, Ukrainians say they will not accept any formal surrender of Crimea

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: AP

Updated 6:34 PM EDT, April 27, 2025


KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A peace proposal by the Trump administration that includes recognizing Russian authority over Crimea shocked Ukrainian officials, who say they will not accept any formal surrender of the peninsula, even though they expect to concede the territory to the Kremlin, at least temporarily.

Giving up the land that was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014 is also politically and legally impossible, according to experts. It would require a change to the Ukrainian constitution and a nationwide vote, and it could be considered treason. Lawmakers and the public are firmly opposed to the idea.

“It doesn’t mean anything,” said Oleksandr Merezkho, a lawmaker with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s party. “We will never recognize Crimea as part of Russia.”

Unlike a territorial concession, a formal surrender would permanently relinquish Crimea and abandon the hope that Ukraine could regain it in the future. The Ukrainian public largely understands that land must be ceded as part of any armistice because there is no way to retake it militarily. Polls indicate a rising percentage of the population accepts such a trade-off.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-crimea-peace-talks-concession-58de3cf0bd289e2e2377a9e4914285c0

[Skittles]

1. to be fair, it is NOT a "peace proposal"

it is TRUMP BENDING OVER FOR PUTIN

[travelingthrulife]

2. They were not shocked. He has had the same plan for years.

[republianmushroom]

3. Good, you have my support.

Tell Putin's puppet trump to shove it.

[maxsolomon]

4. Crimea was "given" to the Ukrainian SSR in 1954.

I can't see a scenario in which Russia withdraws - at least until Putin and his Kakistocracy are gone.

[BumRushDaShow]

5. Ummm... you skipped over a BIG event that happened 35 years after that

I.e., the period in the early '90s when the U.S.S.R. under Gorbachev officially dissolved and a pile of new nations were formed when they broke away - WITH their existing borders - and that included Ukraine. The (drunk) Yeltsin then took control of what became "Russia".

That whole period from the late '80s - mid '90s was really historically significant and it's interesting how it has been minimized.

There was a whole realignment of that area including bordering "East Germany", which eventually went away with the "reunification" to become one "Germany". You also eventually had the finalization of what would become the EU.

[maxsolomon]

6. I didn't mean to skip the dissolution of the USSR.

That 1954 gift (by Kruschev IIRC) was one of Putin's excuses for reclaiming the territory.

There's also Ukraine's 1994 surrender of its nuclear arsenal. Putin doesn't respect that treaty, either.

It's mainly the 2014 Revolution that enraged him - how dare they overthrow his chosen puppet.

[BumRushDaShow]

7. Well Putin wants to put the U.S.S.R. back together again

and after 30 years, that will be difficult.

Crimea made it easier (shorter shipping route) for Ukraine to eventually get out to the Mediterranean through Turkey and then to the Atlantic ocean versus Russia's shipping needs, where it has a HUGE coastline that is adjacent to the Pacific ocean!