Viktor Medvedchuk, leader of the public movement Ukrainian Choice, said he is convinced that negotiations should be conducted on the settlement of the situation in eastern Ukraine.
In his article from Truce to Peace, which was published on the movement’s website on Friday, June 27, Medvedchuk said negotiations should be conducted with those who really control the situation in the region.
“To restore peace in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions as soon as possible, negotiations should be conducted with those who have real influence over the situation, not representatives of local authorities, who are demoralized and disoriented […] The roundtable meetings conducted earlier have not yielded any results: it’s convenient, simple and safe to talk with representatives of the legitimate administration, but it’s totally useless. Negotiations should be conducted with those who really control the situation in the region,” the politician said.
The beginning of the negotiation process in the east is a huge step in the restoration of peace in the region. “It’s the only way to stop the bloodshed and keep the country united and whole. Our task today is to make the negotiations as effective as possible,” Medvedchuk said.
“The hawks of Ukrainian politics, who demand that the anti-terrorist operation be conducted at any cost until they win, look more like vultures. War for the sake of war, war until victory – that’s their motto. They can’t understand that there can be no winners in the civil war, in which they are trying to involve Ukraine,” he said.
Medvedchuk said that any calls to destroy the truce are destructive and criminal now that the life and health of hundreds of people depend on the results of the negotiations.
“Kyiv should understand one simple thing: we shouldn’t be afraid of losing face by giving up radical actions in Donbas. It’s worse to lose the confidence of the citizens of his region,” Medvedchuk said.
Medvedchuk reiterated that the negotiations should continue. “The path from compromise to truce and from truce to peace is difficult and long. However, a journey of thousand miles begins with a single step. Together we can walk this way, we can restore peace in Ukraine,” he said.
