Ukraine's Donbas 'unconditional priority' for Moscow, Russia's Lavrov says

People hold banners as they attend a charity telethon in support of Ukraine "Save Ukraine - #StopWar", amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in front of the Brandenburg Gate, in Berlin, Germany May 29, 2022.
People hold banners as they attend a charity telethon in support of Ukraine "Save Ukraine - #StopWar", amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in front of the Brandenburg Gate, in Berlin, Germany May 29, 2022. (REUTERS/Annegret Hilse)

The "liberation" of Ukraine's Donbas is an "unconditional priority" for Moscow, while other Ukrainian territories should decide their future on their own, RIA news agency cited Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying on Sunday.

"The liberation of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, recognised by the Russian Federation as independent states, is an unconditional priority," Lavrov said in an interview with French TV channel TF1, according to RIA.

For the rest of the territories in Ukraine, "the people should decide their future in these areas," he said.

Reuters