The Kremlin denies plans to annex Donbass

Russia is not going to join the Donbass, said the press secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov.

Dmitry Peskov commented on the Bloomberg publication , which tells about the EU's attitude to the latest events in eastern Ukraine.

Dmitry Peskov

Press Secretary of the President of Russia

Russia did not plan and does not plan to absorb anyone, it has never been engaged in this.

Bloomberg cited a document due to be presented at the EU summit at the end of May. It says that the organization of elections in the self-proclaimed DPR and LPR, as well as the issuance of Russian passports to local residents, “are aimed at the de facto integration of Ukraine’s non-government-controlled territories into Russia.”

• The Russian authorities have repeatedly said that the country's plans do not include the annexation of Donbass or war with Ukraine. However, in April, during yet another escalation of tension on the Russian-Ukrainian border, Dmitry Kozak, deputy head of the presidential administration, said that Russia could change its mind: “It all depends on how big the fire will be. If, as our president says, Srebrenica is set up there, we will apparently be forced to defend ourselves.”