Lavrov reveals Russia's expanded goals in Ukraine, going beyond discussed peace plan - ISW

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that Russia's goals in Ukraine extend beyond the territory currently discussed in the latest peace plans and include the entire Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolaiv, and Odesa regions. This was reported by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), informs UNN.

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Thus, Lavrov stated on January 14 that a future peace settlement should resolve "the issue of the fate of people living in Crimea, "Novorossiya," and Donbas."

Novorossiya is a fictional region that Kremlin officials often refer to as an "integral part of Russia." Novorossiya includes not only Crimea and the four regions that Russia illegally annexed, but also the Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolaiv, and Odesa regions.

They emphasize that Kremlin officials have repeatedly called Odesa a "Russian" city and publicly discussed "Novorossiya" as part of the Russian Federation. At the same time, the 28-point peace plan proposed by the United States provided only for Russia's occupation of Crimea, the entire Luhansk and Donetsk regions, as well as the currently occupied parts of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, and demanded that Russia cede occupied territories beyond these five regions, including in Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, and Dnipropetrovsk regions.

Lavrov's mention of "Novorossiya" on January 14 is not a new demand, but further evidence that Russia's demands are greater than those outlined in the initial 28-point plan. Lavrov's statement was likely an attempt to set conditions before a possible future meeting between US Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff, former senior advisor to US President Jared Kushner, and ... Putin in Russia.