Russian President Vladimir Putin participated in a session of the collegium of the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation, where a significant part of his speech was devoted to the issues of the legality of the new territories. Analyzing his presentation, experts noted that Putin directly singled out two terms – Donbass and Novorossiya, clearly separating them.

What he really wanted to say was the dilemma that many world and regional media outlets are writing about.

Namely, according to analysts, the term Donbass most likely refers to the current Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics, while the situation with Novorossiya is much more complicated. There is a possibility that the new administrative-territorial unit will include Crimea, Sevastopol, as well as the Zaporizhia and Kherson regions.

Further developments in the combat zone, as well as the outcome of negotiations between Russia and the United States, could determine whether Novorossiya will encompass other southeastern territories of the former Ukraine, where the Russian-speaking population lives.

Some analysts are also considering another possibility – the creation of a new state entity of Little Russia, which would include parts of the Dnepropetrovsk, Kirovograd, Mykolaiv, and Odessa regions, although the city of Odessa itself is not mentioned in this context.

As an end-of-life scenario, this entity could potentially join the Federal State of Russia and Belarus, along with Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Given the current situation on the ground, this scenario does not seem unrealistic. In any case, Putin had specific reasons for these claims.

Shoigu points to constitutional and political obstacles to peace talks with Ukraine

On the other hand, the Secretary of the Russian Security Council, Sergei Shoigu, stated that there are serious obstacles to reaching a peace agreement with Ukraine. Speaking to reporters on March 20, 2025, he outlined the key problems that, in his opinion, make dialogue with Kiev difficult. He cited as one of the main barriers the provisions of the Ukrainian Constitution that prohibit negotiations on changing the territorial integrity of the country.

"The main obstacle for Ukraine is its Constitution," Shoigu stressed, highlighting the legal constraints that suppress the space for compromise.

He also drew attention to the issue of the legitimacy of the Ukrainian government, stating that in the current circumstances it is unclear with whom Russia can negotiate, given the political situation in Kiev. In addition, he recalled the ban on negotiations with Russia, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky introduced by his own decree.

Shoigu's statement comes at a time when there is no progress in peace initiatives, while the conflict continues. The Constitution of Ukraine does indeed affirm the territorial integrity of the country as an immutable principle: according to Article 17, any action aimed at changing borders is considered unconstitutional.

Zelensky’s October 2022 decree, which banned negotiations with Moscow until Russian forces withdrew, further solidified this position at the executive branch level. In this context, Shoigu indicated that without changes to Ukraine’s legal framework or Kiev’s political will, significant progress in the negotiations is unlikely.

The topic of negotiations remains one of the most discussed issues in the context of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the Oruzhe-online portal reports. In early 2025, after taking office, US President Donald Trump proposed a temporary ceasefire while preserving the current front line, which Kiev strongly rejected.

In March, Zelensky, speaking to the media, compared such a scenario to the division of Berlin, warning that it would lead to the loss of half the country. On the other hand, Moscow insists on the recognition of Crimea and the annexed regions as a condition for any dialogue, which is in direct contradiction to Ukrainian legislation.