Moscow is seeking to set the terms for ending its war in Ukraine, with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov saying Wednesday, Sept. 3 that a peace agreement is possible only if Russia’s annexations are internationally recognized.

“For durable peace, the new territorial realities that have emerged must be recognized and formalized in accordance with international law,” Lavrov was quoted as saying by Russian state media.

The statement highlights the Kremlin’s strategy of framing territorial conquest as non-negotiable, effectively shutting the door on compromise. Ukraine and its allies have dismissed such demands as unacceptable, calling them an attempt to rewrite borders by force.

Russia demands five Ukrainian regions — Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, and the Crimean Peninsula. Ukraine, however, has made it clear: there will be no compromise on the aggressor’s terms. Kyiv stresses that these are occupied lands illegally seized by Moscow after 2014 and during the full-scale invasion launched in 2022.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha harshly criticized Moscow’s position, calling it “a new set of old ultimatums.”

“Over the past half a year, [US] President [Donald] Trump spent a lot of time and efforts to bring peace closer. What he gets in response from the Russian foreign minister is this. A new set of old ultimatums,” Sybiha said.

He emphasized that Russia “has not changed its aggressive goals and shows no signs of readiness for meaningful negotiations.” On the contrary, according to the diplomat, the Kremlin’s ultimatums “are becoming increasingly absurd.”

“This proves that the aggressor’s appetite only grows when not faced with pressure and strength. Instead, it’s time to hit the Russian war machine with severe new sanctions and sober Moscow up.”

Over the past half a year, President Trump spent a lot of time and efforts to bring peace closer. What he gets in response from Russian foreign minister is this. A new set of old ultimatums.

— Andrii Sybiha 🇺🇦 (@andrii_sybiha) September 3, 2025

Who gets control of land captured by Russia in its offensive remains a key sticking point in the stalled peace talks between the two sides. Ukraine wants a ceasefire first before discussing territory, but Russia has refused to halt its offensive until a full deal is reached.

Analysts from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) note that Russia almost fully controls the Luhansk region and about 80% of Donetsk. In the southern regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, Moscow has captured large territories, but Ukrainian authorities still hold the regional capitals.

Turkish officials, who previously hosted rounds of negotiations, reported last week that President Vladimir Putin had offered to “freeze the front line” in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. But the price was to be Ukraine’s complete abandonment of Donetsk — a step Kyiv calls unacceptable.

Ukraine’s industrial east has been devastated by more than a decade of conflict. It began after the 2014 Revolution of Dignity, when pro-Russian forces, supported by the Kremlin, attempted to tear part of the Donbas away from Ukraine. That was the moment when Russia illegally occupied Crimea, later using the same playbook to launch its full-scale Ukraine aggression.

The Kremlin statements come just as Trump’s two-week deadline for Putin to reach an agreement expires.

On Monday, Kyiv Post reported that President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the Russian authorities still show no readiness for genuine negotiations.

He recalled that exactly two weeks earlier in Washington, US President Donald Trump had given the Kremlin that timeframe to decide on its willingness to meet at the level of leaders. According to Zelensky, Ukraine is ready for dialogue, but Moscow continues to bet on war.

“Ukraine is certainly ready for this. But the only thing Russia is doing is investing in further war. All their signals point to this,” Zelensky said.

As an example, he cited Putin’s visit to China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, where, according to Zelensky, the Russian president would once again “dodge and maneuver” – his favorite tactic.

Against the backdrop of the Kremlin’s lack of readiness for talks, Zelensky stressed the need to continue pressuring Russia. He emphasized that the world is calling for the war to end, yet Moscow deliberately prolongs it.

“Everyone in the world has said that fire must be stopped, everyone insisted that the war must end… The only one who wants war is Russia.”

On Thursday, Aug. 21, Trump set a two-week time frame for peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow, saying “after that we’ll have to maybe take a different tack.”

It came after a cryptic Truth Social post by the US leader, which juxtaposed two pictures: one of him pointing at Putin in Alaska, and a historic image of US Vice President Richard Nixon pointing at Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. It has been interpreted as a hint that the US president may finally be prepared to get tough on Moscow.

On that day, he also criticized predecessor Joe Biden for “not [letting] Ukraine FIGHT BACK” against Russia, likening Ukraine to “a great team in sports that has a fantastic defense, but is not allowed to play offense.”