Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Feb. 17 said there could be "no thought of" territorial concessions to Ukraine on the eve of talks with the U.S. over how to end Moscow's full-scale invasion.
Russia illegally annexed Ukraine's Crimea peninsula in 2014, as well as the Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, and Luhansk oblasts in 2022.
Russia's claims to have annexed the four oblasts in their entirety were made despite not controlling all of them, including two regional capitals - Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
Last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that as a condition for peace negotiations, Ukrainian troops must leave Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.
"Territorial concessions to what is now called Ukraine were made by the Soviet leadership during the formation of the USSR," Lavrov said in comments reported by Reuters.
Lavrov also said he saw no role for Europe in negotiations over how to end Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
"If they're going to come up with some crafty ideas about freezing the conflict like this, and they themselves... have in mind the continuation of the war, then why invite them?" he said.
Chris York
Lavrov's comments came after it was announced that he and Kremlin foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov will fly to Saudi Arabia for talks with a U.S. delegation about how to end the war in Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Feb. 17.
"They are expected to hold a meeting with their American counterparts on Tuesday, which will focus primarily on restoring the entire complex of Russian-American relations," Peskov said.
The U.S. delegation will be led by State Secretary Marco Rubio, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff.
NBC News reported on Feb. 16, citing two U.S. officials, that the intention is for the U.S. to host a bilateral meeting with Russia, followed by a bilateral meeting with Ukraine, and culminating with talks together.
U.S. President Donald Trump reaffirmed on Feb. 16 that Zelensky would have a say in the process and mentioned the possibility of allowing European nations to purchase U.S.-made weapons for Ukraine.
Rubio echoed similar comments stating that Ukraine and Europe must play a role in serious negotiations with the U.S. and Russia to end the war.
Chris York
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