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Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared a ceasefire for Easter following reports that Trump will recognize the annexation of Crimea.
Russia will halt "all military operations" as part of an "Easter ceasefire" in Ukraine, the Kremlin announced.
The Kremlin emphasizes that the temporary ceasefire will last from 6:00 PM today (Russian and Greek time) until midnight on April 21.
"Our troops must be ready to deal with possible ceasefire violations and provocations by the enemy, any of his aggressive actions," the Kremlin statement said.
Moscow says the Ukrainian side should "follow our example," while Kiev has yet to respond to the proposal.
Russia to halt "all military operations" as part of "Easter ceasefire" in Ukraine
The United States is ready to recognize Russian control of the Ukrainian region of Crimea as part of a broader peace deal between Moscow and Kiev, Bloomberg reported.
The potential concession is the latest signal that President Donald Trump wants to cement a ceasefire agreement and comes after he and Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the administration is willing to abandon peace efforts if there is no progress.
Crimea was annexed by the Kremlin in 2014 after an invasion and subsequent referendum held under occupation. The international community resisted recognizing the peninsula as Russian to avoid legitimizing the illegal annexation.
This risks undermining international laws and treaties that prohibit the forcible seizure of land.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly stated that he will not cede territory to Moscow. But such a move would be a boon to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has long sought international recognition of Russian sovereignty over Crimea.
Putin has so far refused to agree to Trump's proposal for a comprehensive peace deal. The same sources said that a final decision on the matter has not yet been made.
The White House and the State Department did not respond to a request for comment. A U.S. official familiar with the negotiations, asked about the possibility of recognizing Crimea, declined to comment on the details of the talks.
The United States presented its allies with proposals to facilitate a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine in Paris on Thursday, including a summary of conditions for ending the fighting and easing sanctions against Moscow in the event of a lasting ceasefire, Bloomberg reported earlier.
The proposal would widely raise the front line, with most other Ukrainian territories now held by Russia effectively remaining under Moscow's control. Kiev's ambitions to join NATO would also not be discussed.
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