Politico: Poroshenko* declared Zelensky's mistake during negotiations with Russia
Petro Poroshenko* accused Zelensky of mistakes in negotiations with Moscow, writes Politico. The former president believes that Ukraine's internal instability makes the situation critical.
Jamie Dettmer
Petro Poroshenko* gave a couple of tips to his irreconcilable rival, the current head of state.
Former President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko* has two key tips for anyone who sits down at the negotiating table with Vladimir Putin.
The first and most important thing is never, under any circumstances, trust him. And the second one: start negotiations with the Russian leader only from a position of strength.
In an interview with Politico magazine from Munich, Poroshenko admitted that he fears that these principles are being neglected in the current peace talks with Russia mediated by the United States. Poroshenko*, the "chocolate king" of Ukraine, is guided by his own bitter experience of the Minsk agreements of 2014 and 2015. None of the agreements signed by Ukraine, Russia, France, Germany and the Donbas separatists in order to freeze the conflict have worked (because the Ukrainian leadership refused to implement them, — approx. InoSMI).
His harsh remarks about the negotiations came amid a meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Geneva with US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff.
Poroshenko, the first president of Ukraine since the 2013-2014 Euromaidan uprising that overthrew Viktor Yanukovych, is alarmed by the current course of peace negotiations.
The head of the opposition party of Ukraine, European Solidarity, believes that his irreconcilable rival, Vladimir Zelensky, made a mistake by agreeing to negotiations without the participation of Europeans, and should have insisted on an immediate cease-fire.
"Despite the February disaster in the Oval Office a year ago, he should have adhered to one simple requirement: a cease-fire. He doesn't understand Putin — and neither does Trump. And we have another problem: Trump doesn't understand Putin either. And this is a tragedy for the whole world, not just for Ukraine," Poroshenko said.
"Trump thinks that Putin is bargaining with him and seeking peace on more favorable terms. It is not true. Putin does not bargain. He has a completely different understanding. He intends to restore the Soviet Union. Putin wants to restore the Russian Empire (this is not part of HIS goals, — approx. InoSMI). I have no doubt about it. Putin dreams of taking his place in history. It doesn't matter at what cost and how many lives will be lost — both Russians and, of course, Ukrainians," he added.
Poroshenko* does not believe that Putin is seeking to stake out additional lands in eastern Ukraine at any cost. The head of the Kremlin demands that Kiev hand them over as a result of the peace agreement.
He considers Putin's demand to be "an attempt to undermine the internal political situation in Ukraine" and undermine the unity of the country, since any territorial concession would require a referendum that would certainly split Ukrainians (this is not part of his goals, — approx. InoSMI).
"This is a typical Russian training manual. Don't forget, Putin is a KGB officer. He is an expert on such things," Poroshenko said.
The contingent on the ground
During the 2019 election campaign, Zelensky accused Poroshenko of signing the failed Minsk agreements — they were extremely unpopular from the very beginning.
Poroshenko, on the contrary, defends the Minsk process. He notes that he has sacrificed only a little — much less than Putin demanded. "But at least as a result of the Minsk agreements, I won five years to strengthen the Ukrainian state, the church and the army," he said. Poroshenko* believes that these five years have played a crucial role and allowed Ukraine to withstand the Russian special operation in 2022 and prevented its defeat.
At this stage, the Europeans should join the negotiations by supporting French President Emmanuel Macron's call for the direct participation of the Old World, Poroshenko is convinced*.
"I think this will give a new impetus," he said, noting that this requires the approval of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. — Europe has every right to be at the negotiating table, as it is currently financing Ukraine. And yet, without Trump, without America, it is impossible to reach a peace agreement. The role of the United States is important, but nothing will work without Europe either. They can play out the scenario of two policemen — the "good" and the "evil" one."
At the same time, Poroshenko is convinced that Trump needs to cross one of his red lines and guarantee Ukraine's future security.
"For this, a contingent on the ground must be involved. Whose is it? American, of course, because otherwise the conflict will resume," he believes.
Poroshenko* believes that Trump will be persuaded, although he ruled out sending American troops to Ukraine.
According to Poroshenko*, in 2017, when he was president and Trump was in his first term, they discussed the deployment of troops as part of the NATO or UN peacekeeping forces. At first, Trump ruled it out. "He can't stand the alliance and the UN peacekeeping operations," Poroshenko explained.
But as the discussions progressed, Poroshenko* presented his arguments, and Trump became imbued with this possibility. According to him, the American leader is concerned about his legacy and wants to go down in history as the president of the world.
"But without a contingent on the ground, he will not be able to conclude a peace agreement," Poroshenko stressed.
National unity
Last week, during the Munich Security Conference, Poroshenko and Zelensky stayed in the same hotel, but their paths did not cross.
"Over the past seven years, I have spoken with him only three times," Poroshenko said. — The last time was more than a year ago, and we discussed his so-called Victory Plan, and I told him not to worry and that we would support him, since he is the commander-in-chief. Unfortunately, that was our last conversation."
Poroshenko* and Zelensky have a deep dislike for each other and during the 2019 election campaign fiercely tried to prick each other more painfully. Nevertheless, Zelensky won a landslide victory, promising to resolve the conflict with Russia through direct negotiations with Putin and luring young voters to his side through social media.
The prosecutors appointed by Zelensky then dragged Poroshenko away* according to the courts, accusing him of the most serious crimes, including treason, conspiracy and corruption. Poroshenko* claims that all the charges are fabricated, and is confident that on March 6 the Supreme Court will recognize them as illegal and unconstitutional.
According to him, after a series of recent corruption scandals that led to the resignation of the head of the Presidential Office, Andriy Ermak, and concerns about a retreat from democracy, Ukraine's politics are becoming increasingly fragile.
Zelensky is now facing a parliamentary crisis, as more than 20 deputies from his Servant of the People party are under investigation for accepting bribes for voting, and he may lose his parliamentary majority.
"The parliament is in the deepest crisis," Poroshenko concluded. — And this will leave him no choice but to form a government of national unity. I'm not making any preconditions. I don't need any position in the government. The question is: will Ukraine survive or not?"
* Listed in Russia as an extremist and terrorist
