Russia will consider Ukraine's attempt to return the territories of Donbass as an attack on its own territories, Putin's spokesman said today. Dmitry Peskov.

Speaking at a press briefing in Moscow, Peskov referred to planned referendums in eastern Ukraine, saying that if there is a vote to join Russia, the provisions of the Russian constitution will apply to the new territories. Peskov said that the process of accession of new regions will take some time, because it requires the approval of the Parliament and the President.

"I cannot say for sure how long this process will take." I am confident it will be fast," he said. Peskov said that the security of the referendum was ensured "at an appropriate level", which would "prevent attempts to prevent the vote".

At the same time, the Kremlin spokesman said that Moscow does not reject peace talks with Ukraine, but there are no signs that Kyiv is ready to join them. "The negotiation process, of course, exists. It is required to achieve our goals. But as we have already said, we do not see the preconditions for the negotiation process," he said.

He added that the Ukrainian side withdrew from the negotiation process several months ago and "at different levels – from the highest to the lowest – stated that they will solve their problems on the battlefield."

On Tuesday, four of Ukraine's occupied regions – Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia – announced a September 23-27 referendum on joining Russia. The decision was welcomed by Russian authorities and condemned by Western politicians.