Istanbul, Feb. 24, (dpa/GNA) – Russia will only agree to a ceasefire in its war against Ukraine if Moscow’s conditions are met, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a press conference on Monday.

These include the recognition of territorial losses by Kiev and “the country’s categorical and binding renunciation of NATO membership,” Lavrov said in Ankara, where he met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

The goal of joining NATO is written in the Ukrainian constitution, which would have to be adapted. After the illegal annexation of the Ukrainian Black Sea peninsula of Crimea in 2014, Russia also annexed the regions of Kherson, Zaporizhzhya, Donetsk and Luhansk after the start of the war three years ago.

Moscow has declared them to be Russian regions in the constitution and is demanding that Kiev give them up as part of a peace deal.

Lavrov also referred to negotiations with US President Donald Trump on resolving the conflict, saying Trump calls Ukraine’s bid for NATO membership a mistake.

He added that Russia will stop its military actions only if negotiations with the United States produce a clear and reliable result in Russia’s favour.

GNA