A high-ranking official in the Kremlin has put forward a proposal for a post-war arrangement in which the Russian National Guard and police would take over from military forces in disputed areas of Ukraine, contingent on Kyiv agreeing to a U.S.-backed peace agreement, as reported by the business newspaper Kommersant on Friday.
Yury Ushakov, an adviser on foreign policy to the Kremlin, stated that Moscow would require Ukraine to completely withdraw from the remaining 13% of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions that are not yet under Russian control.
“Once that occurs, discussions can commence about the future. It’s certainly feasible that there would be no military forces present—neither Russian nor Ukrainian,” Ushakov explained to Kommersant.
“However, there will be the National Guard, our police, and all necessary entities to maintain order and organized living,” he emphasized.
This proposed change in approach comes amid growing pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump for a peace deal that would demand significant territorial concessions from Ukraine.
Negotiations led by the U.S. have reached a critical point regarding the concept of a neutral “demilitarized zone” in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, collectively referred to as Donbas, over which Kyiv insists it must retain sovereignty.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected the notion of giving up any territory in the Donbas but has indicated that the matter could be subject to a public referendum.
“Whether through elections or a referendum, the perspective of the Ukrainian people must be taken into account,” Zelensky stated to reporters on Thursday.
He noted that the U.S. peace proposal envisions the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the Donbas, along with a proposed compromise that would prevent Russian forces from entering those territories.
Zelensky mentioned that Kyiv had sent a 20-point counterproposal to Washington this week, revising the original 28-point U.S. peace plan that heavily favored Moscow. Ushakov expressed his expectation that the Kremlin would reject these revisions, the specifics of which have not yet been made public.
“This will therefore be a lengthy process,” Ushakov remarked to Kommersant. “We will vigorously advocate for our position.”
Trump’s spokesperson, Karoline Leavitt, indicated on Thursday that the U.S. president was “extremely frustrated” with both Russia and Ukraine.
“He doesn’t want further discussions; he wants action. He desires an end to this conflict,” she told reporters.
Russia claimed to have formally annexed the Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia regions from Ukraine in September 2022, despite not exercising full control over them.
Reporting by AFP contributed to this article.
