Kremlin Denies Deadlines for Ukraine Regarding Donbas

Dmitry Peskov, the spokesperson for the Kremlin regime, recently asserted that Moscow has not set any deadlines for Ukraine to withdraw its troops from the Donbas region. He made these statements during a press conference on Friday, April 3, as reported by the Russian propaganda agency Interfax.

However, Peskov did not miss the opportunity to reiterate the Kremlin's demand for Ukraine to withdraw its military forces from Donbas, claiming that this is necessary to 'stop the hot phase' of the so-called 'special military operation.' He emphasized the urgency of this action, stating: 'It needs to be done today, and it would have been better if it had been done yesterday.'

Peskov's statements indicate that Russia has no intention of halting military operations against Ukraine. He noted that Moscow will continue its 'special military operation' until all its objectives are achieved, raising concerns among the international community.

On March 31, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also commented on the situation, stating that Russia is making demands for Ukraine to withdraw from the parts of Donbas under its control, and only then, according to the Kremlin, will the war come to an end. Zelensky questioned Russia's true intentions, noting that if Ukraine does not withdraw from Donbas within two months, Russia will seize these territories and present new conditions.

'A logical question, if their goal is only Donbas, is my question to our American colleagues: if they manage to capture Donbas, why do they say they will go further, and then there will be other conditions? This means that the question is still not about Donbas, in my opinion,' the head of state remarked.

Previously, Zelensky had also reported that the team of U.S. President Donald Trump is eager to end the war; however, they believe that the only way to achieve this is through concessions from Ukraine, which poses risks to its security. In an interview with Reuters published on March 25, Zelensky noted that the United States is prepared to provide Ukraine with security guarantees, but only on the condition that Ukrainian defense forces withdraw from Donbas.

On March 27, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio refuted the Ukrainian president's claims regarding a U.S. demand for Ukraine to withdraw its troops from Donbas in exchange for security guarantees, calling it 'a lie.' He emphasized that Washington has not set such conditions and has not demanded territorial concessions from Ukraine, stating that security guarantees would only be possible after the war concludes.

On March 28, in response to this, the Ukrainian leader stated that the U.S. is considering providing security guarantees to Ukraine only after the war concludes, specifically on the condition of troop withdrawal from Donbas, but he denied that this constitutes direct pressure from their side.

Zelensky has repeatedly stressed that Ukraine's position on territorial issues has not changed. Kyiv will not agree to cede the Donetsk and Luhansk regions to Russia. In an interview with Corriere Della Sera published on March 3, he stated that Ukraine will not abandon Donbas and its 200,000 residents, as retreating would open a path for Russia to the center of the country and would not stop new demands from the Kremlin.