The Kremlin has signaled that diplomatic efforts to end the war will remain at an impasse unless Ukraine agrees to completely withdraw troops from the Donbas region.
In an interview with Russian state media, presidential adviser Yuri Ushakov emphasized that Russia's position on territorial control remains unchanged.
“The situation without the withdrawal of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) from Donbas will remain unchanged even after 10 rounds of negotiations.” Ushakov said, adding that he believes Kiev will eventually be forced to “realize” this necessity.
Despite the tough stance, Ushakov expressed his belief that the United States would not give up trying to resolve the conflict diplomatically. According to him, Donald Trump's envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, are expected to return to Moscow soon to continue talks.
The Kremlin adviser noted that Russia does not think the US will decide to leave the “Ukrainian issue” unresolved, even though US attention has shifted to tensions in the Middle East in recent weeks.
The demand to withdraw troops from Donbas remains one of the most contentious points in the ongoing peace process.
Current discussions between Ukraine's chief negotiator, Rustem Umerov, and U.S. officials are focused on a 20-point agreement, but issues of territorial sovereignty and the status of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant continue to hamper a final breakthrough.
Trump's peaceful actions
Ushakov's words came after President Donald Trump's recent declaration that he is ready to send a high-level delegation directly to Moscow to put an end to the conflict. Trump cited, among others: with the number of victims estimated at 25-30 thousand. soldiers per month. This was supposed to be the main humanitarian factor encouraging a quick resolution of the conflict.
While the Kremlin is demanding a call from President Zelensky to start direct talks, and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico continues to act as a regional intermediary, the insistence on withdrawing troops from Donbas suggests that the path to a formal agreement remains fraught with fundamental differences.
The current three-day ceasefire aimed at facilitating the exchange of 2,000 prisoners, is set to expire on May 11, leaving little time to translate diplomatic “signals” into a lasting truce.
