Despite the Russian leader's 2022 declaration, Moscow does not fully control these Ukrainian regions but hopes that the U.S. can pressure Ukraine into giving them up. This is according to independent English-language and Russian-language online newspaper The Moscow Times, which cites sources close to the Kremlin.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called on Monday for Russia to be punished for more than 183,000 alleged war crimes documented by Ukraine since Moscow's 2022 invasion, saying justice was needed to prevent "evil from proliferating.

The Kremlin on Tuesday said that Russia was continuing its dialogue with the United States amid threats by President Donald Trump to levy secondary sanctions on Russian oil if Moscow does not work to end the war in Ukraine.