Kremlin says ceasefire only possible after Kyiv withdraws from Donbas, but Russian deployment there could be limited

FILE PHOTO: Ukrainian servicemen train to shoot a machine gun from M113 Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) during a training session, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Donbas region, Ukraine April 8, 2023. REUTERS/Yan Dorbronosov/ File Photo

MOSCOW, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Kremlin foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov said on Friday that a ceasefire in Ukraine is only possible after Kyiv's forces withdraw from the entire Donbas region, with the area they currently control taken over by Russian National Guard, Russian newspaper Kommersant reported.

"A ceasefire can only come about after the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops," Ushakov was quoted as saying.