The warfare in Ukraine would finish “immediately” if Kyiv agreed to withdraw from territory it at present controls and abandon its NATO ambitions, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated in an interview with the French outlet Le Level on April 23, reiterating circumstances that Ukraine and its allies have repeatedly rejected.
Peskov laid out Moscow’s calls for for a ceasefire, together with the total recognition of Russia’s declare over 4 Ukrainian oblasts it partially occupies, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia, impartial standing for Ukraine, and an finish to all Western army help.
“If Ukraine lays down its arms and withdraws from these areas, army operations will cease immediately,” Peskov stated. “These 4 areas are inscribed in our structure as an integral a part of Russia."
The Kremlin illegally annexed the 4 territories following sham referenda in late 2022, together with the Ukrainian oblasts as a part of Russia within the structure — in a transfer that holds no weight internationally.
Though Moscow has declared all 4 oblasts and the Crimean Peninsula as a part of Russia, it doesn’t absolutely management them. Russia at present occupies about 20% of Ukraine’s territory, together with almost all of Luhansk Oblast, two-thirds of Donetsk, and roughly 73% of each Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, in addition to the whole thing of Crimea, which it illegally annexed in 2014.
Peskov additionally rejected the legitimacy of the so-called “coalition of the keen,” a bunch of 31 nations that has pledged to ship peacekeeping forces and provide safety ensures to Ukraine within the occasion of a peace settlement.
“Whether or not this coalition exists earlier than or after the signing of an settlement is a element for us,” he stated. “A very powerful factor is the placement of those troopers.” Russia considers any deployment of international troops, notably from NATO international locations, a safety threat, in line with Peskov.
Requested whether or not Russia would think about additional army growth past Ukraine, Peskov dismissed the thought. He insisted Russia has “no issues or territorial claims” towards the Baltic or Nordic states. Russia additionally denied it was planning to invade Ukraine simply earlier than the beginning of its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
The Kremlin spokesperson additionally praised U.S. President Donald Trump as a “robust chief” keen to interact in dialogue, suggesting this differentiated him from the earlier U.S. administration. “Putin appreciates robust males,” he stated.
The Trump administration's last proposal for ending the Russia-Ukraine warfare reportedly consists of main concessions to Russia, together with the U.S.'s de jure recognition of Russia's management over Crimea, together with de facto recognition of its occupation of different Ukrainian territories, Axios reported on April 22, citing sources.
Ukraine's management together with its European companions have firmly rejected any deal that concedes sovereign territory.
"This violates our Structure. That is our territory, the territory of the individuals of Ukraine," President Volodymyr Zelensky stated on April 22.
The Kyiv IndependentChris York