Media: Russia insists on full control over four Ukrainian regions in talks with the US

Meetings of the US and Russian delegations in Saudi Arabia, 18 February, photo: Getty Images

During the talks with the US in Saudi Arabia, Russia demanded full control over Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, although it failed to occupy all of these territories.

According to the Moscow Times, citing its own sources, Moscow argues that these regions are allegedly already «constitutionally» included in the Russian Federation.

«The Constitution has no mechanism for regions to secede from Russia. We need the entire Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions», the newspaper quoted a Kremlin official as saying.

According to another source, the Russian leadership hopes that the United States will put pressure on Kyiv to fully withdraw Ukrainian troops from these territories. They are also considering the scenario of seizing a part of another Ukrainian region, such as Dnipropetrovsk or Sumy, with a subsequent offer to exchange it for Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.

Earlier, US Presidential Special Envoy for Russia and the Middle East Steve Witkoff called the issue of Crimea and the four occupied regions the key problem in resolving the war. According to him, a significant part of the population of these regions is Russian-speaking, but the Ukrainian Constitution does not allow changing their status, which creates diplomatic difficulties.

It should be recalled that US President Donald Trump said that during the negotiations on ending the war in Ukraine, the United States would seek to return as many of the territories occupied by Russia as possible to Ukraine.

Also, the administration of US President Donald Trump is seeking to conclude a truce agreement in the war between Russia and Ukraine by 20 April, when Easter is celebrated. However, the White House acknowledges that this timetable may change due to significant disagreements between the parties.