Kremlin rules out peace negotiations with Ukraine

There is no reason to start peace negotiations with Ukraine at this moment, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said to reporters on Dec. 20.

Ukraine laid out its 10-point "peace formula" in November 2022. One of the key sticking points as a precondition for starting peace talks is the full withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory, including the regions illegally annexed by Russia in 2022.

Russian officials have previously reiterated that this would be considered a nonstarter for any negotiations.

Peskov said on Dec. 20 that "currently there are no prerequisites for peace negotiations with Ukraine."

The prospect of peace negotiations, including exchanging territory for peace or other significant concessions, is widely unpopular among the Ukrainian population.

A poll released in December 2023 found that 74% of Ukrainians were against such territorial concessions with Russia in exchange for peace.

Ukrainian and Western leaders have also repeatedly said that they do not believe Russia is interested in good-faith peace negotiations.

Alexander Khrebet: Don’t write off Ukrainians living under Russian occupation

Standing at an intersection just outside Russian-occupied Donetsk in the town of Marinka two years ago felt bittersweet. I could see the curtains in the windows of a nine-story residential building with my naked eye a few kilometers in the distance. The huge antenna tower I still remember standing…

The Kyiv IndependentAlexander Khrebet