Ukraine’s withdrawal from four regions will end war instantly, Peskov says

Putin’s press secretary said this in an interview with Lepoint.

When asked by a journalist whether the war would end instantly if Kyiv agreed to hand over control of the four regions where Russia held sham referendums in 2022, Peskov answered affirmatively.

“If Ukraine withdrew its troops from these four regions—yes. All four of these regions are written into our constitution as an inseparable part of Russia... In these regions, there are still territories that, from our point of view, are occupied by the current Kyiv regime,” he said.

Peskov also commented on a possible meeting between Kremlin head Vladimir Putin and American President Donald Trump.

“This meeting should be productive. Trump and Putin both want results. That’s why preparatory work is being done,” the spokesman said.

• Earlier, media reported that the Russian delegation at negotiations with the U.S. in Saudi Arabia is seeking to gain control over four Ukrainian regions—Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson.
• Later, Witkoff stated that during negotiations on resolving the war in Ukraine, the topic of “five territories” was being discussed.