The withdrawal of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from Donbas is one of the difficult points of the peace plan that were discussed by Presidents Zelensky and Trump in Florida on December 28 and which were never resolved.
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Before meeting with the Ukrainian president, the head of the White House spoke by phone with Russian dictator Putin. After the conversation, Putin's foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov said that Putin and Trump believe that Ukraine “needs to make a decision on Donbas immediately.” He added that Putin and Trump believe that the temporary ceasefire proposed by Ukraine to hold a referendum on the peace plan “will only prolong the conflict.”
Today, Putin's spokesman Peskov again voiced a necessary condition for stopping the war – the withdrawal of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from the administrative borders of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
According to him, Russia is thinking about ending the military conflict in the context of achieving its goal.
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Putin's press secretary confirmed Ushakov's words that “Kyiv should make a decision on Donbas without delay, taking into account the situation on the fronts.” The Russian official said that a political decision is needed regarding the indicated territories.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated on December 29, during an online response to media questions, that Ukraine will act in its own interests during negotiations on a “peace plan” to resolve the Russian-Ukrainian war. This also applies to withdrawal from Donbas.
“In their 'pink' dreams, we would not be on the territory of our country at all. These dreams have been going on for more than a year. But we have our own land, our own territorial integrity, our own state and our own interests. We will act in accordance with the interests of Ukraine,” Zelensky said.
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Let us recall that during the briefing between Zelensky and Trump, the legendary phrase of Ukrainian border guards on Zmiiniy Island was uttered.