Still seeking international legitimacy for its territorial claims, Russia insists that any peace deal must formally recognize the parts of Ukraine seized by its forces as belonging to Moscow, the country's foreign minister stated in remarks published on Wednesday. 

Maintaining its firm position that it will never accept Russian sovereignty over any of its land and vowing to reclaim all territories seized by Moscow, Ukraine stands in direct opposition to Russia's claim of having annexed the five regions of Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson, Zaporozhye, and the Crimean peninsula, which was initially taken in 2014. 

"In order for a durable peace, the new territorial realities that arose... must be recognised and formalised in accordance with international law," Sergey Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, stated in remarks published on Wednesday. 

New talks, old demands

A major obstacle in the stalled peace talks is the control of land captured by Russia, with Ukraine demanding a ceasefire before discussing territory, while Russia refuses to stop fighting until a complete deal is made.

Responding to the recent peace efforts led by US President Donald Trump with what he characterized as "old ultimatums," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga claimed that Russia was not engaging constructively.

"Russia has not changed its aggressive goals and shows no signs of readiness for meaningful negotiations," he stated, adding, "It's time to hit the Russian war machine with severe new sanctions and sober Moscow up."

Following its role as a host for three rounds of direct Russia-Ukraine talks, Turkey reported last week that Russian President Vladimir Putin had proposed freezing the front lines in the southern Kherson and Zaporozhye regions on the condition that Ukraine completely relinquish its claim to the Donetsk region.

An analysis of Institute for the Study of War (ISW) data conducted by AFP reveals that Russia already maintains almost total control over the Lugansk region while also controlling approximately 80% of the Donetsk region.

In addition to its gains in the east, Russian forces have also captured large swathes of the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions, though the regional capitals remain under Ukrainian control.