Moscow's statements clearly show that Vladimir Putin will not make territorial concessions in Ukraine, the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) wrote in its analysis.
Putin said in his February 27 address to the board of the Federal Security Service (FSB) that Russia would continue to intensify operations in Donbas and “Novorossiya“. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov similarly stated on February 27 that Donbas and “Novorossiya“ are “integral“ parts of Russia.
Moscow was referring to the occupied territories in southern and eastern Ukraine. Although Russia has declared several regions to be “forever Russian”, it does not have full control over them.
Putin and other Russian officials routinely indicate that they are seeking territorial conquest beyond the administrative borders of the four illegally annexed regions (Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhia). The renewed official Russian statements that the fictional region "Novorossiya" is part of Russia indicate that Putin maintains his maximalist territorial ambitions and is unwilling to offer territorial concessions.
ISW argues that Putin remains uninterested in good faith negotiations that require compromises, and believes that he can achieve his military goals militarily in the medium to long term. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on 26 February that if Russia "makes maximalist demands that [Russia] knows cannot be met", then the United States will know that Putin is not "serious" about engaging in negotiations.
US President Donald Trump reiterated on 26 February that Russia will have to make concessions in peace talks. He also said that the United States "will certainly try to get as much [land] as they can back [for Ukraine].