Kremlin says Ukraine must withdraw troops from Donbas, Putin–Trump call expected soon

The Kremlin reflected in the Moskva River in central Moscow, Russia, December 29, 2025. REUTERS/Ramil Sitdikov

MOSCOW, Dec. 29 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – The Kremlin said on Monday that Ukraine should withdraw its troops from parts of the Donbas region it still controls if it wants peace, warning that Kyiv could lose more territory if no agreement is reached.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump spoke on Sunday ahead of Trump’s meeting in Miami with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, adding that another call between Putin and Trump was expected very soon.

Peskov declined to comment on proposals related to a free economic zone in Donbas or on the future of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is controlled by Russia, saying the Kremlin considered such discussions inappropriate at this stage.

Asked about remarks by Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov regarding decisions Kyiv needed to take on Donbas, Peskov said Ukraine should withdraw its forces from areas it still controls.

“We are talking about the withdrawal of the regime’s armed forces from the Donbas,” Peskov said.

When asked whether this position also applied to the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, Peskov declined to discuss details.

According to Russian estimates, Russia currently controls around one-fifth of Ukraine, including Crimea, which it annexed in 2014, about 90% of Donbas, 75% of the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, and parts of the Kharkiv, Sumy, Mykolaiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions. Most countries consider these territories to be part of Ukraine.

Peskov said no call between Putin and Zelenskiy was under discussion.

He also paraphrased remarks by Trump suggesting that Ukraine could lose more territory in the coming months unless Kyiv reached a deal.