The United States is prepared to recognize Russian control of the Ukrainian region of Crimea as part of a broader peace agreement between Moscow and Kyiv, Bloomberg News reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.
The individuals cited by the news agency said that a final decision on the recognition has not been made.
Crimea was taken over by Russia in early 2014; Since then, Russian President Vladimir Putin has sought international recognition of the area as part of Russian territory.
The same day the Bloomberg report was released, US President Donald Trump said earlier that "we will take a pass" on trying to resolve the war between the two countries if he believes that either one of them makes it too difficult for negotiations. Trump clarified that he would not walk away from talks completely in such a scenario.
Agreeing on a peace deal
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said earlier this week that it wouldn't be easy to agree with the US on key aspects of a possible peace deal to end the war, adding that such aspects "are being discussed," in an interview with Kommersant.
"We are well aware of what a mutually beneficial deal looks like, which we have never rejected, and what a deal looks like that could lead us into another trap," he added.
Trump has previously said that he wants to be remembered as a "peacemaker," but Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that the Trump administration is prepared to move on from any peace-brokering initiatives until they see progress towards peace being made.
The US president had also said last month that "there is a very good chance that this horrible, bloody war can finally come to an end" after he held discussions with Putin that he later described as "very good and productive."
Corrine Baum contributed to this report.