Ceasefire and the start of peace negotiations will be possible after the complete withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from Donbas, as well as the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts, says Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, according to BBC Russia. This is the only condition for peace, he claimed.
On 30 September 2022, Russia claimed to annex these four Ukrainian regions following staged "referendums" widely condemned as illegitimate. By 4 October 2022, the Russian parliament ratified the "treaties," and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed constitutional amendments officially adding all four oblasts to Russia's federal structure.
With these statements, the Kremlin effectively confirmed that it does not intend to limit its territorial demands to Donbas alone and continues to demand control over Ukrainian territories it does not fully occupy.
In addition, Peskov made these remarks on the same day Russia hit Ukraine with 800 drones across about 20 oblasts.
Kremlin demands Ukrainian withdrawal from four regions before talks can begin
According to Peskov, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy must order the Armed Forces of Ukraine to cease fire and leave territories Russia considers part of its “regions.”
“To achieve a ceasefire… President Zelenskyy must order the Ukrainian Armed Forces to stop fighting and leave the territory of Donbas and the territory of the ‘Russian regions,’” Peskov said.
The Kremlin claims that only after these conditions are met could full-scale negotiations begin between the two sides.
Kremlin returns to Putin's June 2024 claims
Peskov directly cited a statement by Russian President Vladimir Putin from June 2024.
At the time, Putin said the conditions for ending the war included the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions, as well as Ukraine’s formal renunciation of NATO membership.
The Kremlin again repeated that a ceasefire could take effect only after these demands are fulfilled.
At the same time, Peskov acknowledged that even under those conditions, any negotiations would remain “very difficult” and involve “a large number of important details.”
