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".

The vice president said the rare earth minerals deal the U.S. signed with Ukraine this week was "good progress," but the war won't end "anytime soon."

After a failed February signing and a recent breakthrough in the Vatican, the U.S. and Ukraine have signed a historic economic partnership agreement. The agreement grants Washington unprecedented access to Ukraine's critical minerals in exchange for long-term investment and reconstruction aid.