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WORLD NEWS Monday 9 deceMber 2019

Ukraine faces new challenges in peace talks with Russia

By VANESSA GERA grasp that the Russian lead-
Associated Press er will never compromise
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — over the conflict in eastern
When new Ukrainian Presi- Ukraine because "for Putin,
dent Volodymyr Zelens- compromise is a defeat."
kiy sits down Monday for And Macron's pursuit of a
peace talks in Paris with reset with Moscow doesn't
Russian President Vladimir help Ukraine either.
Putin in their first face-to- "The danger is that Zelen-
face meeting, the stakes skiy will be ambushed by
couldn't be higher. Macron working in effect
More than five years of fight- for Putin because his new
ing in eastern Ukraine be- agenda is to repair relations
tween government troops with Russia, to get back
and Moscow-backed to a normal relationship,
separatists has killed more get back to doing busi-
than 14,000 people, and ness," Kuzio said. Despite
a cease-fire has remained the challenges, Ukraine still
elusive. While Zelenskiy has has the support from the
made ending the conflict a European Union, its biggest
priority, the political novice In this file photo taken on Tuesday, June 18, 2019, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, right, and foreign donor, while Merkel
arrives at the table with the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, left, attend a joint news conference after a meeting at has strongly supported
veteran Kremlin leader in the chancellery in Berlin, Germany. sanctions on Russia.
what appears to be a less- Associated Press But Germany's longer-term
advantageous position: economic interests are a
— Zelenskiy still hasn't had Ukraine's sovereignty that "But it's critical that Euro- between Moscow and continual challenge for
the White House meeting Zelenskiy might end up giv- peans and the U.S. sup- Kyiv, including prisoner Ukraine. Its route bypasses
with U.S. President Donald ing too many concessions port Ukraine," Lete argued. swaps and troop withdraw- Ukraine, cutting off its le-
Trump that he sought to to Putin. That could lead to "Without peace and stabil- als by both sides. verage as a transit country
bolster his stature on the a backlash from Ukrainians ity in Ukraine, there will nev- On Sunday, Pope Francis and an income source.
world stage. who strongly oppose any er be peace and stability in said he was praying for the Germany's relationship with
— French President Em- rapprochement with Rus- Europe." talks to bring peace "to that Moscow has been compli-
manuel Macron, the host sia. The biggest challenge for territory and its population." cated by last week's expul-
of the meeting, has made The talks are being orga- Kyiv probably comes from Taras Kuzio, a security ex- sion of two Russian diplo-
clear recently that he nized in the so-called Nor- France itself, with Macron pert and professor at Na- mats over the brazen killing
wants to re-engage with mandy Format, which was speaking recently of the tional University of Kyiv of a Georgian national in
Russia and get back to do- launched soon after Rus- "brain death" of NATO be- Mohyla Academy, said Zel- Berlin in August, with pros-
ing business again after five sia's annexation of Ukraine's cause of a lack of coordi- enskiy has already weak- ecutors suggesting the slay-
years of sanctions imposed Crimean Peninsula in 2014 nation and leadership from ened his own position by ing was either ordered by
on Russia over its actions in and its backing of the sep- Washington and also say- agreeing to the talks even Russia or authorities in the
Ukraine. aratists in eastern Ukraine. ing he wants to re-engage though Russia insists Crimea republic of Chechnya.
— Macron and the other The consultations had with Russia. is non-negotiable. Zelenskiy also isn't helped
mediator in the talks, Ger- stalled since 2016 but have "It's like telling Russia, 'I will Kuzio described the by the revelations in the
man Chancellor Angela been revived following Zel- work with you and we'll see 41-year-old Zelenskiy, until July 25 phone call with
Merkel, will be meeting enskiy's election. about Ukraine,'" Lete said. recently a comedic actor, Trump. A rough transcript of
Zelenskiy for the first time "There is a whole cocktail of "He should have waited as "extremely naïve about the call revealed him ac-
since it emerged that he economics and geopolitics until after the Normandy international relations" and cusing Merkel and Macron
criticized them in the July that make the situation for meeting. It doesn't help the said he will find himself in of giving too little help to
25 phone call that has be- Ukraine very difficult and is cause of European secu- a difficult place — facing Ukraine. At one point, Zel-
come the focus of an im- posing lot of challenges," rity." a tough opponent in Pu- enskiy tells Trump: "When
peachment investigation said Bruno Lete, a secu- The Normandy Format tin and a population that I was speaking to Angela
against Trump. rity expert at the German talks had have also been would reject any capitula- Merkel, she talks Ukraine,
So there are concerns Marshal Fund of the U.S., a revived following several tion to Moscow. but she doesn't do any-
among those who support leading think tank. confidence-building steps He said Zelenskiy doesn't thing." q