In an interview with Hungarian outlet Magyar Nemzet, Lavrov claimed that Russia doesn’t want a pause that Ukraine could use to regroup, mobilize, or strengthen its military.“Russia remains open to a political and diplomatic settlement of the conflict,” he said. “But it must be a lasting peace. We don’t need a break that the Kyiv regime and its Western backers could use to build up their forces.”Lavrov also said that removing what he called “threats to Russia’s security” is a key part of any deal.Lavrov said that NATO’s expansion and the possibility of Ukraine joining the Alliance are key threats to Russia’s security.He also claimed that human rights must be protected in areas still controlled by Ukraine, accusing Kyiv of destroying everything connected to Russia there since 2014.Among Russia’s other demands, Lavrov called for international recognition of what he described as “new territorial realities” — referring to Crimea, Sevastopol, and parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions, all of which Russia claims to have annexed.“The people in these areas chose their future in a referendum and freely expressed their will,” he said.Lavrov added that Russia’s demands also include the “demilitarization and denazification” of Ukraine, the lifting of Western sanctions, the withdrawal of international lawsuits against Russia, and the return of frozen Russian assets.He insisted these terms must be part of a legally binding peace agreement, claiming that Ukraine must “return to the origins of its statehood” and comply with the founding documents that supposedly define its legal status.Meanwhile, Ukrainian Parliament Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk emphasized that Vladimir Putin only responds to international pressure, saying the Russian leader is constantly “testing the boundaries of what’s permitted” and must be forced to negotiate.