International recognition of Russia's ownership of Crimea, Sevastopol, the People's Republic of Donetsk, the People's Republic of Luhansk, and the regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia is absolutely necessary, says Lavrov in an interview with the Brazilian newspaper O Globo, in connection with his participation in a Brics meeting in Rio de Janeiro.
Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula with the city of Sevastopol, and entered eastern Ukraine, in 2014. Since the large-scale invasion in 2022, they have taken greater control over the areas in the east, which the Kremlin refers to as so-called people's republics.
Russia has also said it will annex the regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, despite Russian forces only controlling parts of them. The regional capitals with the same names are under Ukrainian control.
In Moscow, Vladimir Putin's spokesperson, Dmitrij Peskov, again claims that the Russian government is ready to negotiate directly and "unconditionally" with Ukraine, reports Russian state media.
Both Lavrov and Peskov describe it as the ball being on Ukraine's court and that Russia is waiting for "signals" from there.
In the proposal put forward by mediating USA, it is suggested that Russia's claims to Crimea will receive American recognition, so that Ukraine will in practice give up the peninsula. It is also talked about recognizing a "de facto" Russian control over the other areas, but not about formal recognitions.
