Ukraine war: Russia demands annexations recognised before talksRussia says the West's refusal to recognise "new territories" seized from Ukraine makes peace talks harder, after President Joe Biden indicated he would be ready to meet Vladimir Putin.At the end of September, President Putin declared four Ukrainian regions as part of Russia, but while Russian forces in eastern Ukraine occupy most of Luhansk, their invasion of Donetsk has stalled and they are on the back foot in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia in the south.Mr Lavrov named former US Secretary of State John Kerry as the kind of figure who had in the past been able to solve problems and engage in true dialogue.Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Friday that the time had come to work for a just peace for Ukraine, but it had to come through independence for Kyiv and not its surrender.We would be in trouble without the United States"- The European Union was set to back a cap of $60 on the price of Russian oil, with the aim of preventing Russia profiting from oil exports while avoiding a price spike- Six Ukrainian embassies and consuls have received packages containing eyeballs- The head of the UN's atomic energy agency, Rafael Grossi, says he is close to securing a deal to safeguard Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant."