MOSCOW: Russia continues to demand international recognition of Ukrainian territories occupied by its forces as part of any peace agreement.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that lasting peace requires formal acceptance of what Moscow calls new territorial realities under international law.
Ukraine maintains it will never accept Russian control over any of its land and vows to reclaim all seized territories.
Russia claims to have annexed five Ukrainian regions including Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia and the Crimean peninsula seized in 2014.
Control over captured territory remains the primary obstacle in stalled peace negotiations between both nations.
Ukraine insists on a ceasefire before discussing territorial issues while Russia refuses to halt its offensive until reaching a comprehensive deal.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga accused Russia of responding to peace efforts with old ultimatums rather than genuine negotiation.
“Russia has not changed its aggressive goals and shows no signs of readiness for meaningful negotiations,“ Sybiga stated.
He called for severe new sanctions against Russia’s war machine to pressure Moscow into sober negotiations.
Turkey revealed last week that Russian President Vladimir Putin offered to freeze front lines in southern regions if Ukraine completely surrendered Donetsk.
Russia already controls almost all of Lugansk region and approximately 80% of Donetsk according to AFP analysis of Institute for the Study of War data.
Moscow also holds large portions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions though Ukraine retains control of regional capitals.
Ukraine’s industrial east has suffered devastating damage from over a decade of fighting that began with Russian-backed separatists after Ukraine’s 2014 pro-European revolution. – AFP
