Russia is still seeking international recognition that parts of Ukraine annexed and occupied by its forces belong to Moscow as part of any peace deal, its foreign minister said in remarks published Wednesday.

Ukraine has said it will never accept Russian control over any of its territory and has vowed to recover land seized by Moscow.

Russia claims to have annexed five Ukrainian regions -- Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, as well as the Crimean peninsula, which it seized in 2014.

"In order for a durable peace, the new territorial realities that arose... must be recognised and formalised in accordance with international law," Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in remarks published by Moscow on Wednesday.

Who gets control of land captured by Russia in its offensive i

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