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Kremlin aide says all of Donbass is Russian territory

Yury Ushakov cited a provision in the Russian Constitution
Russian President Putin's adviser Yury Ushakov Kristina Kormilitsyna/POOL/TASS
Russian President Putin's adviser Yury Ushakov
© Kristina Kormilitsyna/POOL/TASS

ASHGABAT, December 12. /TASS/. All of Donbass is Russian territory, Kremlin Aide Yury Ushakov said, commenting on Vladimir Zelensky's idea to hold a referendum there.

"Donbass is Russian [territory]," the Kremlin aide said in a comment to a Life reporter. "All of Donbass is Russian," he emphasized, citing a provision in the Russian Constitution.

On Thursday, Zelensky said the question of territory as part of a peace plan for Ukraine should be answered through a referendum.

Peace talks have intensified since November when Washington proposed a 28-point peace plan. The document sparked dissatisfaction in Kiev and among its European partners, who sought significant revisions. On December 8, Zelensky announced that a new version of the peace proposal, drafted during his meeting with European leaders, would be handed over to the US. He claimed the plan had been reduced to 20 points. Ukraine delivered its response to the US-drafted peace plan to US President Donald Trump on December 10, asking for land concessions.