The Kremlin says it will not withdraw troops from Ukraine before the end of the year unless Kyiv acknowledges the legitimacy of recent votes carried out by Russia-backed separatists in the country’s embattled Donbas region.
Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow on Monday that Ukraine must first “take into account the new realities” before any troop withdrawal can commence.
“These realities indicate Russia has new constituent territories. They appeared as a result of referendums that took place on these territories,” Mr. Peskov said, according to the official Russian TASS news agency.
He said any progress toward a settlement would be “impossible” until the government of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy acknowledges the referendums.