Russia is insisting that any potential peace deal with Ukraine must include international recognition of territories it has annexed and occupied, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday.
Lavrov stated that a “durable peace” could only be achieved if the “new territorial realities” — referring to Russia’s claims over Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, and the Crimean peninsula — were formally acknowledged under international law.
Ukraine has firmly rejected Moscow’s demands, vowing never to cede its territory and pledging to retake land seized since the 2014 annexation of Crimea and Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
The dispute over control of captured territory remains a major obstacle in stalled peace negotiations. Kyiv has insisted on a ceasefire as a first step, while Moscow refuses to halt its offensive until a comprehensive agreement is reached.
Responding to Lavrov’s remarks, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga accused Moscow of recycling “old ultimatums” in reaction to peace efforts led by U.S. President Donald Trump. He said Russia “shows no signs of readiness for meaningful negotiations” and called for “severe new sanctions” to pressure the Kremlin.
Turkey, which has hosted several rounds of direct talks, revealed last week that President Vladimir Putin had proposed freezing front lines in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia if Ukraine agreed to relinquish Donetsk.
Russia currently controls nearly all of Lugansk, about 80% of Donetsk, and significant parts of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, though Ukraine still holds the regional capitals. The conflict has left Ukraine’s industrial east devastated after more than a decade of fighting that began with Russian-backed separatist movements in 2014.
