Russia’s illegal seizure of the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in March 2014 was quick and bloodless, and it sent Moscow’s relations with the West into a downward spiral unseen since the Cold War.

For more than a decade, the industrial heartland of eastern Ukraine has been the focal point of intense battles and diplomatic disputes between Kyiv and the Kremlin. Now it could be on the table in peace talks with the United States.

"Ukrainians will not gift their land to the occupier," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said earlier this month.

President Donald Trump said Ukraine won't get back Crimea during negotiations with Russia to end the war, but what is Crimea and why is it so important?

Donald Trump has made it clear that Crimea is off the table in any peace deal to end the Russia-Ukraine war, a declaration that strikes at the very heart of the decade-long conflict.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signalled he would agree to halt Russia’s war in Ukraine, but only under conditions that would force Kyiv to give up large areas of territory and recognise Moscow’s hold over Crimea,

Putin agreed to ‘game-changing’ security protections for Ukraine, claims Trump envoy - All eyes are now on Volodymyr Zelensky's crucial meeting with Donald Trump at the White House on Monday

The program has been so successful that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the hospital in 2023 to meet with some of the soldiers and present Gonzalez and other hospital personnel with his nation’s Order of Merit, which recognizes achievement in various fields that benefit Ukraine.