The Telegraph reported the information.The United States is preparing to formally recognize Russian control over Crimea and other occupied Ukrainian territories as part of a sweeping effort to broker an end to the nearly four-year war, according to sources familiar with the negotiations.President Donald Trump has sent peace envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner to Moscow to present the offer directly to Russian leader Vladimir Putin. The proposal represents a sharp departure from longstanding U.S. diplomatic policy and comes despite strong objections from Ukraine's European partners."It's increasingly clear the Americans don't care about the European position," said one well-placed source. "They say the Europeans can do whatever they want."Putin signaled Thursday that Washington's legal recognition of Crimea and the Donetsk and Luhansk regions would be among the critical issues in any peace negotiations. The Kremlin confirmed Friday it had received a revised peace strategy developed after emergency talks between Ukrainian and American officials in Geneva last weekend.The initial 28-point peace plan, drafted by Witkoff following discussions with Russian officials, included America's "de facto" recognition of Crimea and two eastern Donbas regions. It also proposed recognizing Russian-held territory behind the line of contact in Ukraine's Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions following any ceasefire.A new 19-point plan emerged from the Geneva negotiations that is considered less favorable to Moscow, though multiple sources indicate American offers of recognition remain part of the framework. Crucially, Ukraine would not be required to recognize Russia's control over the annexed territories—a move that would violate the Ukrainian constitution, which mandates a nationwide referendum before any territorial concessions.The proposal has sparked turmoil in Kyiv. Andriy Yermak, the Ukrainian president's chief of staff who helped negotiate the latest plan, resigned Friday after anti-corruption officers raided his home. Before stepping down, Yermak was defiant: "Not a single sane person today would sign a document to give up territory. As long as Zelenskyy is president, no one should count on us giving up territory."The latest version of the peace plan leaves blank spaces for the most contentious issues, including final territorial arrangements, to be resolved only after direct talks between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Trump. No meeting date has been announced.Washington's apparent willingness to recognize Russia's territorial gains has rattled European allies, who have consistently opposed any peace deal that legitimizes borders changed by force. After a Wednesday meeting, coalition leaders emphasized "the principle that borders must not be changed by force" as fundamental to European stability.A European counter-proposal to the American plan explicitly rejected recognizing Russian control over Ukrainian territory, stating that "territorial issues will be discussed and resolved after a full and unconditional ceasefire."The U.S. offer would mark an unprecedented break from diplomatic convention, granting legitimacy to territory seized by an aggressor state. Since Putin's illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014, both the U.S. and Europe have refused to recognize Russian control over the peninsula.Recent leaked phone calls have revealed that Witkoff coached Russian officials on how to approach the White House, with conversations explicitly referencing Ukraine's need to surrender Donetsk. Intelligence experts suggest a European agency may have disclosed the recordings to expose the growing relationship between the Trump aide and the Kremlin.White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt declined to confirm details of the negotiations. "The United States continues to have robust discussions with the Russians and Ukrainians," she said. "Any reporting about these sensitive diplomatic conversations should be deemed speculative until it comes directly from the president or his national security team."