The Kremlin said on Monday that the issue of territory remained fundamental to Russia when seeking a deal to end the fighting in Ukraine, TASS reported after the weekend talks in Abu Dhabi.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly said Russia will take all of Ukraine’s Donbas region unless Kyiv agrees to cede it in a settlement.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated the position, saying “the territorial issue, which is part of the Anchorage formula, is of fundamental importance to the Russian side.”
He added: “It’s no secret that this is our consistent position, the position of our president.”
The Anchorage formula refers to what Russia says was agreed between U.S. President Donald Trump and Putin during a summit in Alaska last August.
A source close to the Kremlin has said the understanding envisages Ukraine handing Russia full control of Donbas and freezing the front lines elsewhere in the east and south as part of any future agreement.
Kyiv has consistently rejected any settlement involving territorial concessions, saying it will not give Russia territory it has failed to capture by force.
Peskov said Moscow viewed the opening exchanges in Abu Dhabi as constructive but warned against expecting quick progress. “It would be a mistake to expect any significant results,” he said.
“This is a very complex matter, with complex issues on the agenda.” He noted that the talks remain at an expert level and are still in their initial stages.
He confirmed that trilateral contacts will continue next week, though a specific date has not yet been finalised.
Peskov said no phone call between Putin and Trump is currently scheduled but noted that high-level contacts can be arranged rapidly if needed.
On regional developments, he warned that a U.S. strike on Iran “would seriously destabilise the Middle East” and called for restraint.
Peskov also said Russia remains in “constant contact” with Venezuela on ongoing projects and investments, while describing reports of a potential U.S. blockade of Cuba as “alarming.”
Ukraine has maintained that no settlement can involve giving up territory, a position it repeated after the Abu Dhabi talks.
Kyiv stressed that it will not transfer land Russia has failed to seize by force, a stance underscored in public statements on 25 January.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s territorial integrity remains non-negotiable and noted that any future framework must respect the country’s internationally recognised borders.
He added that concessions on land would undermine the entire basis of a durable agreement.
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Russian grain is once again moving by rail to Armenia along a route that had been closed for decades. The latest freight train departed from Baku on 9 March carrying hundreds of tonnes of grain.
Russia launched a barrage of drones and missiles at Ukraine overnight on Saturday (7 March), damaging infrastructure and killing at least 10 people, including two children, in the northeastern city of Kharkiv, Ukrainian officials said.
Russian attacks on Ukraine’s second largest city in the early hours of Saturday (7 March) killed 10 people, including two children. Kharkiv mayor, Ihor Terekov, said 10 residents died after a Russian ballistic missile hit a five storey apartment block in the city.
Escalating tensions between Iran and the U.S. are raising economic concerns across Central Asia. Although the region lies far from the conflict, its economies remain closely tied to global energy markets and trade routes linked to the Persian Gulf.
Trump says the United States "don’t need people that join wars after we’ve already won," targeting his criticism at UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Israel continues to fire missles at strategic sites in Iran and Gulf regions report more strikes from Iran.
Global oil prices continue to rise, currently surpassing $119 a barrel this Monday, an almost four year high following fresh U.S.-Israeli strikes targeting oil depots. Stock markets shares slumped on fears the conflict with Iran could disrupt shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.
Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is a hardline cleric with strong backing from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. His rise signals continuity in Tehran's anti-Western policies.
Iran named Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his father Ali Khamenei as supreme leader on Monday (9 March), signaling that hardliners remain firmly in charge, as the week-old U.S.-Israeli war with Iran pushed oil above $100 a barrel.
Entry and exit across the state border between Azerbaijan and Iran for all types of cargo vehicles, including those in transit, will resume on 9 March, according to a statement by the Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan.
U.S. President Donald Trump and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke by phone on Sunday as tensions between Washington and Westminster deepened over the conflict involving Iran. The call came less than a day after Trump criticised Britain’s response to U.S. strikes on Iranian targets.
Norwegian police are searching for a suspect after an explosion at the U.S. embassy in Oslo on 8 March caused minor damage but no injuries, in what authorities say may have been a deliberate attack linked to the Middle East crisis.
An explosion damaged a synagogue in the Belgian city of Liège early on Monday (9 March) in what authorities said was an antisemitic attack that caused damage but no injuries.
The Group of Seven (G7) finance ministers will meet on Monday to discuss a global rise in oil prices and a joint release of oil from emergency reserves coordinated by the International Energy Agency, the Financial Times reports.
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