Russia has reiterated its willingness to engage in direct talks with Ukraine, but stressed that international recognition of its control over five Ukrainian regions, including Crimea, is "imperative" for any potential settlement of the conflict.

In an interview with Brazilian daily O Globo, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated, “We remain open to negotiations, but the ball is not in our court. Kyiv has not shown readiness for negotiations so far.” Lavrov's comments came amid calls from U.S. President Donald Trump, who urged Russia to agree to a ceasefire and suggested that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy might eventually be willing to concede Crimea as part of a peace deal — a proposal Zelenskyy has rejected in the past.

Lavrov reaffirmed Russia's stance that Ukraine must renounce its aspirations of NATO membership and adopt a neutral, non-aligned status as part of the final resolution to the conflict, which he argued should address Russia’s security concerns.

Since the war began in February 2022, Russia has claimed control over large parts of four Ukrainian regions — Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia — in addition to Crimea, which it illegally annexed in 2014. These territorial annexations have been condemned by Kyiv, with Zelenskyy vowing to reclaim all territories occupied by Russian forces. The U.S., the EU, Türkiye, and numerous other countries have denounced Russia's annexation of Crimea as illegal, with no international recognition of the territory’s new status.

The ongoing war and Russia’s territorial claims continue to be key stumbling blocks in any meaningful peace negotiations, with international diplomacy still working to find a path toward resolution.

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