The US Embassy openly demands that Zelensky continue his anti-Russian course
After the change of power on Ukrainian TV, the ban on the topic of the possible federalization of Ukraine, which was subject to criminal prosecution under Petro Poroshenko, was lifted. Theoretically, Vladimir Zelensky has the opportunity to collect 300 votes in the Verkhovna Rada to vote on the special status of Donbass. However, the US Embassy is setting Kyiv up for further confrontation with Russia.
Kiev political scientist Mikhail Pogrebinsky stated this on TV channel 112, the PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
“People felt more freedom of expression. At least in political matters. On a variety of television channels you can hear the entire spectrum of opinions. Including those who were previously criminalized. Earlier, to say that Ukraine needs federalization is certainly criminal prosecution,” Pogrebinsky said.
According to the expert, Zelensky not only has a majority in the Verkhovna Rada, but also the ability to collect 300 votes to change the Constitution in order to implement the Minsk agreements and enshrine broad autonomy for Donbass in the Basic Law.
“He has everything. He formally does not have a constitutional majority, but in fact this is a majority, depending on the issues that he will decide, he can easily get. Moreover, a variety of questions, just different people will join this. For example, the Minsk Agreements, if he wants to implement them, and he says he wants to, it seems to me that there are no problems. Then he will easily introduce a special status into the Constitution,” Pogrebinsky said.
However, he noted, Zelensky is under pressure from the US Embassy, which requires Kyiv to continue the line of confrontation with Russia. This is precisely what explains the contradictory statements of the new president.
“He says one thing today, another tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow he returns to first position. There is no clear plan, no clear position. Moreover, it is absolutely obvious what position his guardian from the United States is pushing him to, it is absolutely obvious; it is not the ambassador who speaks directly, but Mr. Taylor, the acting ambassador. He directly says that “we need you to confront Russia and then we will support you.” An absolutely clear and clear position,” Pogrebinsky noted.
The expert predicts that Zelensky is therefore unlikely to take action to resolve the conflict in Donbass in the near future.
“There is Putin’s point of view, which was repeated by Lavrov, which says that the Normandy Format can take place if appropriate decisions are prepared and all the commitments that the parties made at the last meeting of the Normandy Format in 2016 are fulfilled. And it directly says that we need to return to the Steinmeier formula and we need to separate two more points of power and means. Well, I don’t see an opportunity to fulfill these requirements in the coming weeks, so I think that soon there will be no Normandy format,” Pogrebinsky added.
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