Kremlin Demands Ukraine Leave Donbas Before Talks

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Ukraine would need to order its forces out of Donbas and territories claimed by Russia before meaningful peace talks could begin. He also said Moscow had not yet received an official US response regarding Russia’s recent Sarmat missile tests. Make us preferred on Google Flip Share Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn Bluesky Email Copy Copied Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov attends a meeting of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro at the Kremlin in Moscow on May 7, 2025. (Photo by Alexander Zemlianichenko / POOL / AFP) Content Share Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn Bluesky Email Copy Copied Flip Make us preferred on Google The Kremlin on Wednesday, May 13, said Ukraine would need to withdraw its forces from Donbas and territories claimed by Moscow before Russia would move toward meaningful peace negotiations. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky would need to order Ukrainian troops to leave the territories to “open a corridor” toward peace talks. Follow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official . “The war could be stopped at any moment,” if Kyiv accepted Moscow’s demands, Peskov said, reiterating longstanding Kremlin conditions that Ukraine surrender territory in Donbas – demands Kyiv has repeatedly rejected. Peskov also said Russia had not yet received an official response from the United States regarding recent tests of the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile system. The latest remarks came days after Russian leader Vladimir Putin claimed the war in Ukraine was “moving toward its end” during Moscow’s Victory Day events. However, Peskov later acknowledged there were still no concrete details regarding a possible settlement . “The accumulated groundwork in terms of the peace process allows us to say that the end is drawing near,” Peskov told reporters on Tuesday. “But in this context, it is not possible at the moment to speak about any specifics.” He added that Russia remained open to contacts with the United States while continuing what the Kremlin calls its “special military operation” after a temporary ceasefire expired earlier this week. Other Topics of Interest Belarus’s Lukashenko: ‘We Are All Preparing for War’ Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko announced rotational mobilization and intensified combat training to prepare the military for possible war, citing the need for readiness for a “ground operation.” The move follows combat inspections and rising regional tensions, as Ukraine warns Russia may seek to further involve Belarus in the war along their shared border. Why Moscow is making these statements now The Kremlin has increasingly projected confidence publicly despite the war entering its fifth year and Russia continuing to suffer battlefield/battlespace and economic pressure. US analyst Paul Goble previously told Kyiv Post that Putin’s recent messaging appeared aimed more at domestic audiences than genuine negotiations. “Putin is floating the idea that his war in Ukraine may be nearing an end – not because that is happening – but rather he wants to calm some in Russia about what is happening in Ukraine,” Goble said. Russia continues to demand that Ukraine cede occupied territories in Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions as part of any settlement – conditions Kyiv has consistently rejected. A recent analysis by The Economist asserted that Kyiv has gained the upper hand in the war based on Moscow’s high troop losses and current net territorial losses – the first since 2024, when Kyiv launched an offensive in Russia’s Kursk region. By hinting that the war could be winding down, Putin is also attempting to weaken international momentum behind further military aid for Ukraine, Goble argued. “He wanted to end the war but the West is preventing it,” Goble said, describing what he called a familiar Kremlin tactic of publicly talking about peace while continuing military operations. “Classic Putin statecraft,” Goble added. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization since 1995. Its international market reach of 97% outside of Ukraine makes it truly Ukraine’s Global – and most reliable – Voice.