'War will end immediately': Kremlin comes up with a new condition for Ukraine
Photo: Vladimir Putin, Russian President (Getty Images)
Russia is demanding the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from four regions. In that case, it claims it would allegedly end the war immediately, states Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov in an interview with Le Point.
Peskov complained that Ukraine's accession to NATO would allegedly violate Russia's security. Therefore, Moscow wants Ukraine to adopt a neutral status and "recognize the reality" regarding territorial issues.
He also added that Russian President Vladimir Putin outlined the demands for ending the war back in July.
"I don't know why no one is mentioning this now. Our constitution enshrines four regions (referring to Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Kherson, and Luhansk regions - ed.). The Ukrainian army must lay down its arms and leave these territories. If they do that, military actions will stop immediately," Peskov fantasized.
He also acknowledged that Russia does not fully control these regions. It considers them as "temporarily occupied."
Russian demands
Earlier, the Financial Times, citing sources, reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a conversation with US special representative Steve Witkoff, expressed a willingness to abandon "claims" to four regions of Ukraine.
Following this, the US proposed a peace agreement in which they would recognize Crimea as Russian.
Commenting on this material, Peskov called it fake.
Meanwhile, according to Reuters, Ukraine warned that it would only discuss territorial issues after a full and unconditional ceasefire with Russia.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, on April 23, declined to participate in Ukraine-related talks in London. According to rumors in the media, the reason for this was President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's refusal to recognize Crimea as Russian.
