Kremlin rejects third-party administration of Donbas

On August 25, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov firmly rejected the notion of any third party administering the Donbas region, a clear indication of Moscow's stance against a proposed buffer zone. Peskov, speaking to Russian news agency Interfax, inaccurately referred to Ukraine's Donbas as "territory of the Russian Federation," emphasizing that it would be "hardly possible for any third party to administer regions of the Russian Federation."

This comes after Ukraine reportedly submitted proposals to the United States for further steps to intensify pressure on Russia and hasten the end of the war. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in a CNN interview on August 12, expressed the need for increased U.S. involvement in the peace plan, stating that "we need more active participation from the American side in the peace plan."

The Times revealed on August 24 that Kyiv, U.S. President Donald Trump, and European officials had collaborated on a plan to end the war, which includes a ceasefire, mutual withdrawal of Russian and Ukrainian forces from the front line, and the establishment of a buffer zone. Zelenskyy indicated that the American side had additional ideas, which they aim to present at the right moment.