What’s emerged from the Washington-led effort to end the war in Ukraine suggests a deal that seems likely to be favorable to Russia.

U.S. officials have finalized new economic sanctions against Russia, including banking and energy measures, to intensify pressure on Moscow to embrace U.S. President Donald Trump’s efforts to end its war on Ukraine,

KYIV, Ukraine — A Russian drone strike on Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, wounded 47 people, local officials said. Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said drones hit 12 locations in the city late Friday. Residential buildings, civilian infrastructure and vehicles were damaged in the assault, according to Kharkiv regional Gov. Oleh Syniehubov.

One reason: such a ceasefire would allow the Kremlin to hold its annual World War II victory parade without fear from Ukrainian missile or drone attacks.

The State Department is poised to step away from its role as a mediator between Russia and Ukraine after the two sides remain “far apart” on a deal to end the war. The Trump administration has spent the first 100 days trying to bring an end to the protracted war in Europe,

US Vice President JD Vance said the war in Ukraine is “not going to end any time soon,” just hours after Washington and Kyiv signed a key minerals agreement that has peace in Ukraine among its goals.

His comments come shortly after the U.S. and Ukraine signed a minerals deal, an agreement that Vance said showed the White House is making progress.

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".