Crimea is at the crux of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. Here's why it's important.

Washington-brokered negotiations to end Russia’s war in Ukraine have largely boiled down to a diamond-shaped peninsula about the size of Massachusetts.

Washington-brokered negotiations to end Russia’s war in Ukraine have largely boiled down to a diamond-shaped peninsula about the size of Massachusetts.

Crimea had been contested for centuries by the Greeks, Mongols and Ottomans before Russia illegally annexed it from Ukraine in 2014. Sitting at a geographic crossroads between Europe, Asia and the Middle East, the peninsula has vast trade and military significance — and is steeped in spiritual lore.

Though a deal was signed Wednesday giving the United States access to some of Ukraine’s critical minerals, large disagreements between these parties and Russia continue to stymie the wider peace talks.

Crimea is the crux.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rejected outright acknowledging Moscow’s control over it, while Russian President Vladimir Putin has insisted the peninsula is his.