Putin claims Russia will stop fighting if Ukrainian forces leave Donbas

Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin has claimed that hostilities in Ukraine will end once the Armed Forces of Ukraine withdraw from territories they currently hold in Donbas.

Source: Putin during a visit to Kyrgyzstan, as cited by Russian media outlets

Quote: "When Ukrainian troops leave the territories they have held, then the fighting will stop. If they do not leave, then we will achieve this by military means."

Background:

• Amid the grim situation on the front line, the United States, European partners and Ukraine have been discussing options for a "peace plan", the first version of which has been put forward by the administration of US President Donald Trump.
• Bloomberg has reported earlier that this draft "peace plan", which requires numerous concessions from Ukraine, including territorial ones, is a version imposed by the Kremlin.

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