"Donbass withdrawal is the path to peace for Ukraine," Dmitriev said on X, commenting on reports that the administration of US President Donald Trump made it clear to Ukraine that US security guarantees depend on Ukraine agreeing to withdraw its troops from Donbass.
The Financial Times has reported that the US considers Ukraine's withdrawal from Donbass a prerequisite for resolving the conflict, but Ukraine is only willing to discuss territorial issues in exchange for security guarantees from Washington.
Volodymyr Zelensky has ruled out withdrawing Ukrainian armed forces from the Donbass region following a meeting with Trump in December.
On January 23, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from Donbass was an important condition. Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov described the pullout of Ukrainian troops from the region as an essential component of any comprehensive peace plan.