The war in Ukraine would end “instantly” if Kyiv agreed to withdraw from territory it currently controls and abandon its NATO ambitions, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said in an interview with the French outlet Le Point on April 23, reiterating conditions that Ukraine and its allies have repeatedly rejected.
Peskov laid out Moscow’s demands for a ceasefire, including the full recognition of Russia’s claim over four Ukrainian oblasts it partially occupies, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia, neutral status for Ukraine, and an end to all Western military support.
“If Ukraine lays down its arms and withdraws from these regions, military operations will stop instantly,” Peskov said. “These four regions are inscribed in our constitution as an integral part of Russia."
The Kremlin illegally annexed the four territories following sham referenda in late 2022, including the Ukrainian oblasts as part of Russia in the constitution — in a move that holds no weight internationally.
Although Moscow has declared all four oblasts and the Crimean Peninsula as part of Russia, it does not fully control them. Russia currently occupies about 20% of Ukraine’s territory, including nearly all of Luhansk Oblast, two-thirds of Donetsk, and approximately 73% of both Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, as well as the entirety of Crimea, which it illegally annexed in 2014.
Peskov also rejected the legitimacy of the so-called “coalition of the willing,” a group of 31 nations that has pledged to send peacekeeping forces and offer security guarantees to Ukraine in the event of a peace agreement.
“Whether this coalition exists before or after the signing of an agreement is a detail for us,” he said. “The most important thing is the location of these soldiers.” Russia considers any deployment of foreign troops, particularly from NATO countries, a security risk, according to Peskov.
Asked whether Russia would consider further military expansion beyond Ukraine, Peskov dismissed the idea. He insisted Russia has “no problems or territorial claims” toward the Baltic or Nordic states. Russia also denied it was planning to invade Ukraine just before the start of its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
The Kremlin spokesperson also praised U.S. President Donald Trump as a “strong leader” willing to engage in dialogue, suggesting this differentiated him from the previous U.S. administration. “Putin appreciates strong men,” he said.
The Trump administration's final proposal for ending the Russia-Ukraine war reportedly includes major concessions to Russia, including the U.S.'s de jure recognition of Russia's control over Crimea, along with de facto recognition of its occupation of other Ukrainian territories, Axios reported on April 22, citing sources.
Ukraine's leadership along with its European partners have firmly rejected any deal that concedes sovereign territory.
"This violates our Constitution. This is our territory, the territory of the people of Ukraine," President Volodymyr Zelensky said on April 22.
Chris York
(Updated: )
