Washington-brokered negotiations to end Russia’s war in Ukraine have largely boiled down to a diamond-shaped peninsula about the size of Massachusetts.

Amid reports that a U.S. peace proposal might include recognizing Moscow's illegal annexation of Crimea, President Donald Trump denied Ukraine was being pressured to accept the move — while also asserting Ukraine had given up the peninsula in 2014 "without firing a shot.

The Russian Federation demands to recognize Crimea as part of its territory in order to disrupt negotiations on ending the full-scale war, said Borys Babin, an expert from the “Reintegration of Crimea” Association in the material by RBC-Ukraine "Trump changing the game: Why Crimea suddenly came up in peace talks".

What’s emerged from the Washington-led effort to end the war in Ukraine suggests a deal that seems likely to be favorable to Russia.

U.S. officials have finalized new economic sanctions against Russia, including banking and energy measures, to intensify pressure on Moscow to embrace U.S. President Donald Trump’s efforts to end its war on Ukraine,

KYIV, Ukraine — A Russian drone strike on Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, wounded 47 people, local officials said. Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said drones hit 12 locations in the city late Friday. Residential buildings, civilian infrastructure and vehicles were damaged in the assault, according to Kharkiv regional Gov. Oleh Syniehubov.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky suggested that his military would not abide by a three-day ceasefire laid out by Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this week, instead offering a longer 30-day truce that is backed by the United States.

The war in Ukraine is not going to end "any time soon," US Vice President JD Vance said in an interview with Fox News on Thursday. It is "going to be up to the Russians and Ukrainians now that each side knows what the other's terms for peace are.