RT.com
29 Dec 2025, 23:02 GMT+10
The condition is necessary to permanently end the conflict, according to presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov
Ukraine must completely withdraw its armed forces from Russia's Donbass in order to end the conflict, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said.
Donbass refers to the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR), former Ukrainian regions that voted to join Russia in the September 2022 referendums after the Ukraine conflict escalated earlier that year.
Peskov was asked to comment on the latest developments in the Ukraine peace process, including US President Donald Trump's phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin and meeting with Vladimir Zelensky on Sunday.
Kremlin foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov said that during the call, Trump and Putin agreed that a temporary ceasefire proposed by Ukraine and its European backers would only prolong the conflict and risk renewed hostilities. A lasting end to the fighting, he said, "requires a bold, responsible political decision from Kiev" on Donbass.
Asked to clarify that statement at a press briefing, Peskov confirmed the Kremlin's stance.
"Of course, the [Kiev] regime must withdraw its armed forces from Donbass beyond the administrative boundaries," he stated.
Asked whether the demand also applies to Kherson and Zaporozhye - two other former Ukrainian regions that voted to join Russia in 2022 - Peskov declined to comment, saying Moscow "won't publicly disclose any specific provisions" of a potential settlement.
Ukraine and its Western backers insist all four regions were "annexed" by Moscow, and Kiev has refused to recognize them as part of Russia.
READ MORE: Kremlin reveals details of Putin-Trump call
Trump hosted Zelensky in Miami on Sunday for another round of talks on a possible peace deal. At a joint press conference afterward, he cited significant progress, saying the Ukraine peace process is nearing a conclusion, while acknowledging that territorial concessions remain among the toughest issues.
Get a daily dose of St Petersburg Star news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to St Petersburg Star.
More InformationBRUSSELS, Belgium: The Trump administration's decision to impose travel bans on five Europeans has been met with the expected anger...
BEIJING/BRUSSELS: China escalated its trade dispute with the European Union by announcing steep provisional tariffs on EU dairy imports,...
The condition is necessary to permanently end the conflict, according to presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov ...
The Ukrainian military fired a barrage of 91 kamikaze drones at the Russian presidents state residence US President Donald Trump...
By Kaushal Verma New Delhi [India], December 29 (ANI): Crude oil markets are likely to remain under sustained pressure in 2026 as...
Moscow will review its negotiating position given that Kiev has fully turned to state terrorism, Sergey Lavrov has stated The Kiev...
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: In the most significant trial of the multibillion-dollar 1MDB scandal, Malaysia's influential former prime...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: New York will soon require prominent mental health warnings on social media platforms that use features designed...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: A powerful winter system swept toward the U.S. Northeast at the start of the post-holiday weekend, triggering...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: Jazz musician Chuck Redd canceled a planned Christmas Eve concert at the Kennedy Center after the White House...
There's an invisible emergency in America: children toil in slaughterhouses, factories, and fields—night and day, unseen, unprotected,...
WEST PALM BEACH, Florida: After spending weeks accusing Nigeria's government of failing to rein in the persecution of Christians, President...
