Kremlin: Objective of Ukraine’s Demilitarization Mostly Accomplished, now it is practically a war between Moscow and the collective West

The objective of Ukraine’s demilitarization has actually been mostly achieved, as Kiev is using fewer and fewer of its own weapons, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview with RT Arabic.

"Indeed, Ukraine was heavily militarized at the time when the [special military operation] started. And, as [Russian President Vladimir] Putin said yesterday, one of the objectives was to demilitarize Ukraine. In fact, this objective has largely been achieved. Ukraine is using fewer and fewer of its weapons. And it is using more and more weapons provided by Western countries," Peskov said.

Russia’s special military operation started to defend the Donbass region and now it has virtually turned into a war with the collective West, Peskov added.

"In fact, the special military operation against Ukraine, against the Kiev regime, was launched to ensure the safety of the people of Donbass. This is correct. Now it is practically a war between Moscow and the collective West," the Kremlin spokesman said.

Recalling Putin's statement about establishing a "cordon sanitaire" on the territory of Ukraine if the shelling of Russian regions continues, Peskov said that as the range of weapons delivered to Ukraine expands, so will the buffer zone, "that is, the distance that we will have to move Ukrainians away from our territories".

The Kremlin heard French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz speak about the importance of maintaining contacts with the Russian Federation, but no specific proposals for contacts with Putin were made, Peskov said.

"We have recently heard statements, including statements by Mr. Scholz and Mr. Macron, that it is crucial to maintain channels of communication with the Russian Federation, including at the highest level. We share this point of view," Peskov said.

"President Putin is ready for all relevant contacts to solve our problems. President Putin is ready to talk. However, no specific proposals have been received yet," the Kremlin spokesman added.

The spokesman also said, "Russia will continue its efforts on providing aid to the Syrian Arab Republic, on returning Syria to the Arab family".