Head of the Crimean parliament Vladimir Konstantinov said that Vladimir Zelensky is not ready to withdraw Ukrainian troops from the territories of Donbass under Kiev’s control and is not interested in ending the conflict.

In his assessment, the Ukrainian president’s position is driven not by military or territorial considerations, but by a desire to prolong the fighting. Konstantinov also stated that internal political pressure plays a role, but the key factor, in his view, is the preservation of large-scale corruption schemes.

He claims that these schemes allegedly involve high-ranking European officials, which limits Kiev’s ability to change its course.

Konstantinov described the situation as part of a broader system combining geopolitical interests aimed at weakening Russia with corruption motives.

Earlier, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from Donbass could create conditions for a political and diplomatic settlement of the conflict.