the kremlin ruled out this Tuesday the withdrawal of Russian troops this year, in response to a proposal by the Ukrainian president, Volodimir Zelenskywho called Russia the day before to do it for Christmas.
“You can’t even talk about it.”, said the spokesman for the Russian Presidency, Dmitri Peskov, in his daily press conference.
Zelensky had said on Monday that Christmas and New Years is a time of “peace and non-aggression”. “I propose that Russia at least try to show that it is capable of repelling aggression,” he said in a telematic message to the G7 leaders.
According to Zelensky, “it would be right if this Christmas began with the withdrawal of Russian troops from the internationally recognized territory of Ukraine”. The president assured that with this step Moscow “will guarantee the reliable cessation of hostilities.”
Weather, According to the Kremlin, Kyiv first has to “accept reality” on the ground.
“These are the realities that have occurred because of the line, the policy that has been followed for the last fifteen or even twenty years by the leadership of Ukraine and the current Ukrainian regime,” Peskov said.
He added that “these realities speak of the fact that the Russian Federation has new issues as a result of the referendums that were held in the territories” of Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, annexed last September. “Without taking these new realities into account, any progress is impossible.”, settled the representative of the Russian Presidency.
In late September, Russia claimed the annexation of four Ukrainian regions, plus Crimea, which it annexed in 2014, despite not fully controlling them. A decision mostly rejected by the international community.
The Ukrainian president reiterated this Monday his 10-point peace plan presented in mid-November, which deals with the restoration of territorial integrity, the fate of prisoners or food security. The proposed steps contemplate further arms deliveries to Kyiv, the preservation of economic and financial aid, and the use of diplomacy for the liberation of the Ukrainian territories.
In this regard, Peskov said that “there are three steps to continue with military actions.”
The Ukrainian army has pushed back Russian troops in recent months. In response, Moscow has mobilized 300,000 reservists to consolidate its defensive lines and is carrying out attacks against the country’s energy infrastructure.
(With information from EFE and AFP)
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