Russia has reiterated its tough conditions for ending the war in Ukraine, insisting there can be no ceasefire or broad peace negotiations unless Ukrainian forces withdraw from the eastern Donbas region.
The renewed demand comes days after Russian President suggested the more than four-year conflict was nearing an end, though he gave no details on how that could happen.
Speaking on Wednesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Ukraine must order its troops to stop fighting and pull out of territories Russia now considers part of its federation before any meaningful peace discussions can begin.
Russia currently controls about one-fifth of Ukraine, including the Crimean Peninsula annexed in 2014, most of the eastern Donetsk and Lugansk regions — collectively known as the Donbas — as well as large areas of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson in southern Ukraine.
Moscow claims the occupied territories belong to Russia following referendums that were widely rejected by the international community as illegitimate.
Ukrainian President has repeatedly rejected Russia’s conditions, arguing that surrendering occupied territories would amount to capitulation.
The war, which escalated after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022, has killed hundreds of thousands of people and remains Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II.
Efforts led by the United States to broker peace talks have made little progress in recent months, especially after Washington shifted greater attention toward tensions involving Iran.
