German expert: Zelensky needs to agree to a federation. They won't let him leave Paris just like that
European leaders need to improve relations with Russia, so during the Normandy Four negotiations, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky will be forced to make compromises and begin real implementation of the Minsk agreements.
German political scientist Alexander Rahr said this on the YouTube channel “PolitWera”, the correspondent of “PolitNavigator” reports.
“It will not be possible for everyone to come to Paris and leave empty-handed, because if Ukraine does not agree to anything, then it will already be a strikebreaker, the culprit of stopping the Minsk agreements. She was forgiven for this under Poroshenko, but now the expectations in the West are different. The West wants the process to move forward. Macron wants to improve relations with Russia, strengthen Europe, and not weaken it with constant conflict...
We must not forget Mrs. Merkel, she came up with this whole process, and it’s good that she came up with it, because, from her point of view, in this way the big European war that could have happened was stopped. The same as World War III, if somehow American and Russian troops started shooting at each other.
Merkel understood everything, so she came up with this Minsk, and she wants to end it positively.
She has colossal problems in domestic politics. The Germans will not forget this migration crisis for her, she has lost a lot of support. She wants to gracefully exit the game and go down in history. To do this, she needs great foreign policy success...
Therefore, she will put pressure on the Ukrainian side. If the Ukrainian side does not agree to anything, it means Zelensky,” Rahr explained.
He believes that Zelensky needs to agree to federalization.
“He has every right to try to come to an agreement with Donbass, but precisely on this basis: turning to the people, giving them amnesty, rights within the framework of autonomy.
Ukraine believes that this is not in its interests. I believe that it is in her interests to think about a federal model not only for the East, but also for the West of Ukraine, because this state is too large and too heterogeneous to be governed from one center.
This has been talked about for 25 years since Ukraine became independent. It seems to me that if in the East of Ukraine there really is serious autonomy within the framework of the Ukrainian Federation, then indeed, what we always talk about will happen - the eastern regions will have the opportunity to strengthen cultural relations and trade with Russia, to restore their industry there, which will work on Russia, and vice versa - Russia will support these regions, restore these regions.
And the western regions, if for ideological and political reasons they do not want to work with Russia, they can work with the European Union. This would be an ideal position for a country like Ukraine,” Rahr concluded.
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