Ukraine must cede the territories for which Russia claims annexation before any diplomatic negotiations, the Kremlin declared on Tuesday, December 13, in response to Volodymyr Zelensky's proposal to organize a "world peace summit
"
.
"
The Ukrainian side must take into account the realities that have developed on the ground
," said Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov during his daily press briefing.
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"
These realities are that the Russian Federation has new subjects as a result of referendums that have taken place in these territories
", he added, judging "
impossible any progress
" diplomatic as long as Kiev "
does not take into account these realities
.
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At the end of September, Russia claimed the annexation of four Ukrainian regions, in addition to the Crimea annexed in 2014, without however fully controlling them, a decision widely rejected by the international community.
Ukraine, for its part, is demanding that Russia withdraw its army and return all the territories it occupies.
Dmitry Peskov also said that it was "
out of the question
" for Russia to withdraw its troops from Ukraine before Christmas, another request from President Volodymyr Zelensky made Monday, December 12 during a speech to the G7 countries gathered by videoconference.
On Monday, the Ukrainian president reiterated his 10-point peace plan presented in mid-November and which deals with the restoration of territorial integrity, the fate of prisoners and food security.
The Ukrainian army has been pushing back Russian troops for several months.
In response, Moscow has mobilized 300,000 reservists to consolidate its lines and is carrying out attacks against the country's energy infrastructure.