Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has issued a stark warning to Ukraine , demanding that the war-torn nation withdraw its troops from the Donbas region in the east of the country, just days before a US delegation is set to arrive in Moscow for critical peace talks aimed at ending the brutal conflict.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, the Russian leader delivered his uncompromising ultimatum: "Ukrainian troops will withdraw from the territories they occupy, and then the fighting will cease."

Putin menacingly added, "If they don't withdraw, we'll achieve this through military force," as reported by the Kyiv Independent.

Russia's illegal occupation of Ukrainian territories

Moscow has been illegally occupying the eastern Ukrainian oblasts of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia

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