(Dan Tri) – The Kremlin has outlined criteria for establishing a buffer zone with Ukraine to ensure the safety of Russian territory.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov (Photo: Reuters).
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Tass that the size of the demilitarized zone in Ukraine will depend on the strike range of Ukraine’s weapons.
When asked if Russia would establish specific boundaries of the demilitarized zone with Ukraine, Mr. Peskov said: `No, this depends on the type of weapons Kiev possesses. The attack range of the weapons
When asked if there was a deadline for establishing such a buffer zone, the spokesperson said that the process had in fact been going on for `about a year and a half`.
`There can be no new or old buffer zone, only such a buffer zone can exist. It is a continuation of the ongoing task,` he emphasized.
On June 13, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow may consider creating a demilitarized zone in Ukraine if shelling of Russian areas continues.
On June 14, Vice Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev said that Russia could establish a `security buffer zone` in Ukraine to avoid cross-border raids in Russian regions.
`Considering our adversary’s decision to supply long-range weapons to Ukraine, this demilitarized zone should pass through the Lviv region, to be able to play a defensive role,` Medvedev wrote, referring to the city.
The Ukrainian side also proposed the idea of a demilitarized zone.
Advisor to the President of Ukraine, Mr. Mykhailo Podolyak, said on May 29 that a peace plan considered acceptable to Kiev would not only restore territorial sovereignty but also include an agreement to establish a non-governmental zone.
`To ensure real security for residents of the Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Zaporizhia, Lugansk and Donetsk regions, protecting them from the risk of shelling, it is necessary to establish a 100-120km demilitarized zone on the territory
Moscow has repeatedly accused Ukraine of using weapons donated by the West to attack civilian targets inside Russian territory.
Ukraine often denies or does not speak up about Moscow’s accusations that Kiev raided Russian territory.