Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov confirmed on Wednesday that achieving lasting peace in Ukraine requires recognition of new territorial realities.

He stated, “For peace to be sustainable, the new territorial realities that emerged after the annexation of Crimea, Sevastopol, the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, as well as the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, into the Russian Federation following referendums, must be recognized and legally formalized internationally.”

Lavrov pointed out that a sustainable settlement in Ukraine “is impossible without addressing the root causes of the conflict and removing threats against Russia’s security,” explaining that Moscow expects negotiations between Russia and Ukraine to continue, noting that “the heads of delegations remain in direct contact.”

He affirmed that Moscow appreciates India’s stance, which did not succumb to U.S. pressure and remained committed to the principles of free trade.

Lavrov said, “Everyone knows that former U.S. President Donald Trump did not just threaten several countries with high tariffs on their products, but these tariffs were actually imposed, for example on India, which is our distinguished strategic partner and one of the major consumers of Russian products, especially energy sources.”

He continued, “We appreciate the fact that New Delhi did not yield to that pressure and remained committed to free trade principles.”

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia is engaged in new military reinforcements in certain sectors of the frontline and continues to strike targets in Ukraine.