MOSCOW

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday that US mercenaries captured in the combat zone in Ukraine by rebel forces of the Donetsk region could be executed.

"We are talking about mercenaries who threatened the lives and encroached on the lives of our servicemen. And not only ours, but also the servicemen of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR). This is what they are accused of -- being mercenaries," Peskov said at a news conference in Moscow.

Peskov reminded the terms of the Geneva Convention on Prisoners of War do not apply to mercenaries.

The fate of the captives will be designated by a court of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, he said.

"We can't rule anything out (including a death sentence) because it's a court decision. We never comment on them, and moreover we have no right to interfere in court decisions," said Peskov.

Last week British media claimed two Americans, Alexander Drueke and Andy Huynh, were captured near the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv.

Russia has neither confirmed nor refuted the reports.

Asked if Kyiv contacted Moscow about the resumption of the peace talks after a meeting with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron, Peskov responded negatively.

"No, there were not (attempts to resume talks)," he said.

More than 4,500 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since the war started Feb. 24 with Russia.

Over 14 million people have been forced to flee their homes, including more than 7.7 million that have fled to other countries, according to UN figures.