Kremlin Firm on Territorial Claims Amid U.S.-Russia Diplomatic Talks

On Thursday, the Kremlin firmly rejected the idea of giving up control over Ukrainian regions it claims to have annexed, creating a significant boundary as Russian and U.S. officials convened in Istanbul to discuss efforts towards normalizing relations.

«The territories that are now part of the Russian Federation, as stated in our nation’s constitution, are an integral part of our country,» asserted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov during a press briefing.

«This is an indisputable and non-negotiable fact,» he emphasized to reporters.

Following its large-scale invasion that began in February 2022, Russia proclaimed the annexation of four Ukrainian regions: Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson. It had previously annexed Crimea in 2014.

Ukraine, along with a majority of the international community, has rejected these annexations as illegitimate—a stance reiterated by Kyiv in response to Peskov’s comments.

«Ukraine has its internationally recognized borders,» stated Georgiy Tykhy, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry.

«It’s truly absurd for them to invoke their constitution to rationalize these annexations,» he added.

Russian troops currently control the majority of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, while only parts of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson are under their control. Moscow also occupies a section of Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has acknowledged the limitations of his army in regaining all occupied areas through military means, but he has indicated that some territory could potentially be recovered via diplomatic efforts.

In parallel, Russian and U.S. officials gathered in Istanbul on Thursday to address embassy-related matters as part of their attempts to stabilize relations.

This dialogue, which took place at the residence of the U.S. consul general, followed a significant high-level meeting this month—the first between the two nuclear nations since Russia initiated its extensive invasion of Ukraine.