Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said no third party could administer Donbas, rejecting a reported buffer-zone proposal and calling the region 'territory of the Russian Federation.' Russia's claim of sovereignty over occupied parts of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts remains internationally unrecognized.
The comments respond to reporting by The Times that Ukraine, U.S. and European officials have developed a peace framework involving a ceasefire, mutual troop withdrawal from the front line, and a buffer zone. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine submitted its own proposals to Washington on Aug. 11 and is awaiting further American ideas.
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