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Opinion
May 3, 2019 www.intellinews.com I Page 22
Putin regime. As it was the Ukrainian presidential debate was watched by millions of Russians as
it was streamed online. It led to the widespread reaction: “Why don't we have presidential debates?” amongst Russians.
However, Zelenskiy still has a major challenge ahead of him if he is going to be able to fulfil any of these promises. Currently he doesn't have a single representative in Ukraine’s parliament and without an associated political party in the Verkhovna Rada he is powerless to make more than token reforms. Parliamentary elections are due in October and Zelenskiy needs to bring off a second victory for his newly formed Servant of the People party, which is currently leading the polls and would take 25% of the vote if elections were held on Sunday.
Despite the rhetorical slugfest, Zelenskiy also held out an olive branch and said he remains open to renewing negotiations in the Normandy format talks that include Germany, France, Ukraine and Russia. The next meeting is scheduled for May.
"I would like to note once again that I am ready for negotiations. I hope that at the next meeting in the Normandy format Russia will demonstrate readiness for de-escalation ... Our side is ready to discuss new conditions for
coexistence of Ukraine and Russia," Zelenskiy wrote on Facebook, adding the exchange of prisoners under the "all for all" formula should be a concrete confirmation of Russia's readiness for de-escalation. Zelenskiy made the return of POWs a top priority for his dealings with Russia during his campaign.
Putin’s reply was dig his heels in and insist on some of the clauses in the Minsk II agreement that Zelenskiy has yet to comment on. The Russian leader pointed to the statements Zelenskiy had made during the election campaign that he did
not plan to sign a decree granting amnesty to the Donbas conflict’s participants and did not intend to provide special status to certain Donbas areas as stipulated in the Minsk agreements. "How will it
be possible to resolve the LPR-DPR issue without implementing the Minsk Agreements? I would very much like to ask him this question and discuss these matters with him," Putin said.
The Kremlin is likely to be uncooperative until the October parliamentary elections pass as until then Zelenskiy will not have the power
to implement any promises he may make. If Zelenskiy’s party does badly in the elections the comedian turned politician runs the danger of being a lame duck president.