On April 1, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov rejected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's statement that Moscow had issued a 2-month ultimatum to Kiev to withdraw troops from the Donbass region, affirming that the army should have left the area a long time ago.
This has been said before. That decision should have been made a long time ago. It could have saved thousands of lives and prevented the conflict from entering a hot stage like today," Peskov said.
The Kremlin's statement was made just 1 day after President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview that Moscow had sent a message to Washington, expecting Kiev to withdraw troops from Donbass within 2 months. According to Zelensky, if Ukraine refuses, Russia will still control the area and subsequent negotiation terms will be "more harsh".
Donbass - an area that voted to annex Russia in 2022 - continues to be the biggest bottleneck in all peace efforts. Russia has repeatedly affirmed that Ukraine's complete withdrawal from this is a prerequisite for a long-term solution.
On the contrary, Kiev resolutely rejects any territorial concessions. President Volodymyr Zelensky considers withdrawing troops from Donbass a direct threat to European security, and warns that this could set a dangerous precedent.
Regarding allegations that Ukraine is under pressure from the US to concede, Washington has also spoken out to deny it. Foreign Minister Marco Rubio called these statements "untrue", saying that Kiev was only informed that security assurances would be considered after reaching a peace agreement, not before.
In that context, trilateral talks between Russia, Ukraine and the US are currently suspended, partly due to Washington's shift of priorities to the Middle East amid escalating Iranian tensions. Dmitry Peskov said Moscow is still ready for dialogue, but the current process is "dominated by the Iranian situation".
Russia continues to emphasize that any peace agreement must include core conditions such as Ukraine maintaining neutrality, demilitarization and recognition of annexed territories. Meanwhile, Kiev still maintains a tough stance, causing the prospects of negotiations to continue to fall into a deadlock.
