"The liberation of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, recognised by the Russian Federation as independent states, is an unconditional priority," Lavrov said in an interview with French TV channel TF1, according to RIA.
For the rest of the territories in Ukraine, "the people should decide their future in these areas," he said.
(Reporting in Melbourne by Lidia Kelly and Ron Popeski in Winnipeg; Writing by Lidia Kelly; Editing by Hugh Lawson)