President Trump’s plan to allow Russia to keep occupied Ukrainian territories as part of a peace agreement is “set in stone,” according to sources. Pressure is growing on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to accept a US designed peace deal to prevent the US from “pulling out” of the conflict, depriving Kyiv of vital funding and weapons.

According to the Times, sources close to Steve Witkoff, the president’s special envoy, say that Trump believes that Zelensky “really has no choice” other than to sign up to any agreement. The two leaders may get the chance for a brief meeting in the margins of Pope Francis’ funeral on Saturday, although the Italian government has warned that doing so would be seen as disrespectful. The US proposal for peace, presented to Russia and Ukraine by Witkoff, is believed to include formal US recognition of Russia’s control over Crimea, the territory illegally seized by Moscow in 2014, in addition to de facto recognition of territories taken in the south and east of Ukraine since the full-scale invasion in 2022.

The source close to Witkoff told the Times: “Trump’s view is that this land has been seized and it is not going back.

“The deal on the table is that the Russian-occupied territory is going to remain occupied. Russia’s not pulling it out of it. That part is set in stone.”

The source described the deal as a “take it or leave it,” reiterating the threat that failure to accept could see the United States walk away from its support of Ukraine, which was clad iron during the presidency of Joe Biden.

The source added: “The funding cut-off actually is going to have as much of an impact as the weapons cut-off this year, because Ukraine uses that money to buy more weapons from other allies.”

Trump's envoy Witkoff once again met with Vladimir Putin in Moscow and spent three hours discussing a potential plan to end the conflict.

The US is understood that support for continuing to back Ukraine will eventually wane in Europe, especially if the financial landscape deteriorates following the imposition of US tariffs.

Zelensky has argued that the Ukrainian constitution prevents him from agreeing to relinquish claims over Crimea. A referendum requiring a two-thirds majority would be required for him to do so, with the millions of Ukrainians fighting and displaced making such an event practically impossible.

Mariana Betsa, the Ukrainian deputy foreign minister says that Ukraine will do everything it can to take back Crimea.

She said: ““Our position is very clear and our president, Volodymyr Zelensky, is very clear on that. Crimea is Ukraine.

“We’ll never recognise the attempted annexation by Russia. We will never recognise it as a Russian territory and we will take whatever it takes … to occupy our land, our country.”

Mayor Kyiv and former heavyweight world boxing champion Vitali Klitschko believes that conceding land might be a “temporary solution,” in order to achieve peace.

He told the BBC: “One of the scenarios is … to give up territory. It’s not fair. But for the peace, temporary peace, maybe it can be a solution.”