Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev transferred Crimea from Russia to Ukraine in 1954, when both were part of the USSR, to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the unification of Moscow and Kyiv. In 1991, when the Soviet Union collapsed, the peninsula became part of newly independent Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has recently doubled down on his position that Kyiv will not accept any peace proposal that recognizes Crimea as Russian despite President Donald Trump's threats to walk away from peace processes.

In Ukraine, memories of Russia’s annexation are fresh and resentments run high, leaving the country’s president few choices on the latest American peace plan.