Two European countries are ready to freeze the war in Ukraine without de jure recognition of the territories seized by Russia – WSJ

France and the United Kingdom are prepared to support a freeze of the war in Ukraine along the current front lines without legally recognizing the Russian-occupied territories.

This was reported by The Wall Street Journal, citing a source.

According to the publication, British and French officials are open to a scenario in which Ukraine agrees to the current lines of control in exchange for security guarantees and economic support.

“However, France and the UK would prefer an agreement that acknowledges Russia’s control over the occupied territories only de facto — similar to the armistice that ended the Korean War,” the article states.

At the same time, the U.S. peace proposal reportedly lacks specific security guarantees or commitments to invest in Ukraine’s post-war recovery — elements the Europeans appear to demand, based on the above quote.

The article’s headline states that Volodymyr Zelensky “rejects the U.S. peace plan” concerning recognition of Crimea as Russian. The newspaper clarifies that “it remains unclear whether the idea was for the U.S. to recognize Russian control over Crimea, or for Ukraine to do so.”

Previously, several Western media outlets reported that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio declined to attend the London negotiations following Zelensky’s statements about Crimea.

However, most foreign outlets note that the U.S. intends to recognize Russia’s status in Crimea itself, but is not requiring Ukraine to do the same.