Kremlin official: Russian police and National Guard will stay in Ukraine’s Donbas postwar
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A senior Kremlin official says Russian police and the National Guard will stay on in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas even if a peace settlement ends the war. Ukraine will likely reject this stance as it indicates Russia intends to maintain a presence in the region. Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov said in comments published in a Russian business daily on Friday that Moscow will agree to a ceasefire only after Ukrainian forces withdraw. Ukrainian forces meanwhile said they have recaptured several settlements near Kupiansk in the northeastern Kharkiv region. Russian officials haven’t commented on those claims, which couldn’t be independently verified.