A top aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested that Russian troops could be withdrawn from Ukraine’s Donbas region, but the territory would remain under the control of Russia’s National Guard and police.
In an interview with Kommersant, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said that Donbas “sooner or later” will come under full Russian control, whether through negotiations or military means. A ceasefire, he added, could only occur after Ukrainian forces leave the area.
Ushakov added that even if Russian and Ukrainian troops are not directly stationed in Donbas, “there will be the National Guard, our police, everything necessary to maintain order and organize daily life.”
These remarks came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged that the United States has floated the idea of a demilitarized – or potentially “free economic” – zone in Donbas as part of ongoing peace discussions.
Zelensky said Washington’s “compromise vision” for the part of Donbas currently controlled by Ukraine would require Ukrainian troops to withdraw from the territory of the Donetsk region while barring Russian forces from entering.
The proposal, however, leaves unanswered “who will control this territory” and how it would be monitored.
Speaking to reporters Thursday, Zelensky hinted that Ukrainians may eventually vote in elections or a referendum on whether to cede land to Russia – a politically explosive notion that is currently banned by Ukraine’s Constitution.
“I believe the people of Ukraine will answer this question,” he said. “Whether through elections or a referendum, the Ukrainian people must take a position.”
On Friday, Le Monde reported that Ukraine had already agreed to a plan establishing a demilitarized zone – but Ukraine’s Presidential Office swiftly rejected the claim.
The French outlet said Ukraine had accepted the creation of a demilitarized buffer zone on both sides of the current front line, allegedly endorsed by European leaders and included in a revised US peace proposal.
Speaking to Kyiv Post, Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to the head of the Presidential Office, called the report incorrect and said discussions remain purely theoretical.
“In any negotiation process, all possible formats are discussed, including stopping along the line of direct combat contact,” Podolyak said.
“Theoretically, this may include forming a monitored buffer or demilitarized zone. But all of this remains within the framework of security-guarantee discussions. No final decisions have been made.”
He said any binding position would be announced by Zelensky personally.
Zelensky said Ukraine continues to push for terms “less one-sidedly favorable to Moscow.” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Kyiv has already sent a new proposal outlining what territorial concessions, if any, it might consider.
Military dynamics could influence the talks, Zelensky added: “What the Ukrainian military can deter, how they can position themselves, where they can destroy the occupier – this affects the entire diplomatic structure.”
