President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko made several resonant statements on the Freedom of Speech program on ICTV. In particular, most of the speech of the current head of state was devoted to the issues of building the army and protecting against “Russian aggression”.
The current head of state spoke about the “newest” weapons of the Ukrainian armed forces. It is, among other things, about the anti-ship ground rocket R-360A "Neptune", which was tested on April 5 and, according to Poroshenko, will soon become part of the arsenal of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
According to the head of the department of political science and sociology of the PRUE. GV Plekhanov Andrei Koshkin, speaking on television, Poroshenko held a "advertising campaign" of "Neptune", and his statement about the capabilities of the rocket "fit into the outline of the election campaign."
“Propaganda of imaginary achievements in the defense sphere is one of the foundations of Poroshenko’s election campaign. With all his strength, he is trying to convince society that Ukraine has become a powerful European power, an outpost in the face of “Russian aggression”, making it clear that if he does not win the elections, then all the “successes” will go to pieces, ”Koshkin explained in an interview with RT.
In turn, military expert Viktor Litovkin noted that “Neptune” is being created on the basis of the Soviet X-35 rocket, but Poroshenko was quick to declare that the rocket would soon enter the Arsenal of the Armed Forces of Ukraine — it would take at least several years to complete. “And after the completion of the development work, Kiev simply will not be able to establish the mass batch production of Neptune due to a lack of production capacity,” Litovkin believes.
- Rocket "Neptune"
- © petroporoshenko
"Or Poroshenko, or Putin"
Another central theme of the speech of the current Ukrainian president was the question of rivalry with the candidate for this post, actor Vladimir Zelensky. In the first round of the presidential election, the showman scored over 30% of the vote, while Poroshenko did not overcome the bar of 16%. According to political analysts, in the second round of elections, which will be held on April 21, his chances of winning are minimal.
During his speech on TV, Poroshenko called Zelensky a "wonderful actor", criticized for his readiness to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and the desire to establish contact with the leaders of the unrecognized republics of Donbass. As Poroshenko believes, negotiations with Moscow, Donetsk and Lugansk will destroy the solidarity "of the Western world with Ukraine on the issue of" Russian aggression. "
The current head of Ukraine did not ignore the scandal surrounding the use of the image of Vladimir Putin in his election campaign. The President’s campaign materials often used the slogan: “Or Poroshenko, or Putin.” At the same time, supporters of the Ukrainian leader (for example, journalists Ayder Muzhdabayev and Arkady Babchenko) argued that the Ukrainians, who did not vote for Poroshenko in the first round, thereby supported the "pro-Russian candidates."
In addition, billboards appeared in the Ukrainian cities before the second round, with Petro Poroshenko on the left and Vladimir Putin on the right. Below the inscription: “April 21. Decisive choice.
According to the Ukrainian president, he is not the author of the slogan “Either Poroshenko or Putin”, but he does not exclude that his headquarters could make “certain mistakes in agitation”.
At the same time, in his opinion, one cannot disregard the fact that the Russian leader allegedly said that “any candidate for the presidency of Ukraine, except Petro Poroshenko, would be acceptable to him”.
In reality, this phrase Vladimir Putin never uttered. Since the start of the election campaign in Ukraine, the Kremlin has refrained from expressing preferences for any candidate, emphasizing readiness for constructive talks with the Kiev authorities, regardless of the outcome of the elections.
So, commenting on Zelensky’s words about his intention to meet with the Russian leader after he won the election, Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov stressed that Vladimir Putin is a consistent supporter of the dialogue “without provocations.”
- Billboard April 21. Decisive choice "
“Putin is always open for dialogue, except for situations when they try to frame this dialogue with various provocations, decorate with sabotage and so on. In this case, Putin’s reaction is very clear, unequivocal and decisive. But at the same time, President Putin has always been and remains a supporter of dialogue to solve the problems that are on the agenda, ”said Peskov.
It is noteworthy that the use of the image of Vladimir Putin in election campaigning in Ukraine is a violation of the country's legislation. In particular, the Law of Ukraine "On Advertising" prohibits the use of the image of an individual (including a foreign citizen) in election campaigning without his written consent. However, in Ukraine, apparently, it does not bother anyone.
Andrei Koshkin believes that Poroshenko’s headquarters deliberately made Vladimir Putin a “participant” in the election campaign. According to him, the current president of Ukraine seeks to prove to voters and the “Washington Regional Committee” that he is on equal terms with the Russian leader.
“Poroshenko, as it were, equates himself to Vladimir Putin — the leader of a power whose influence in the world is incomparable with the positions of Ukraine. Of course, it looks ridiculous. Such a reception is necessary to mobilize the “radical” electorate and public relations in front of the West. However, judging by the results of the first round, comparing himself with Putin Poroshenko did not really help, ”said Koshkin.
In the RT commentary, Kirill Koktysh, a professor at the MGIMO political theory department, stressed that the Kremlin had prudently distanced itself from the presidential race in Ukraine, which was accompanied by numerous provocations. Nevertheless, the Poroshenko team found it necessary to launch a large-scale propaganda campaign against the Russian Federation for “interfering” in the Ukrainian elections.
“This move is not justified. Using the image of Vladimir Putin in agitation, Poroshenko demonstrates his ideological weakness. In addition to the confrontation of Russia, he can offer nothing to society, ”explained Koktysh.
"Weapons against Zelensky"
The greatest resonance in the Ukrainian media caused Poroshenko’s statement about the need to adopt a law on the impeachment of the head of state. He urged the Verkhovna Rada to start a discussion on this issue in order to develop a “objective, balanced, compromise version (of the document).” At the same time, I did not forget to focus on what is the “first president”, who, after the adoption of the 1996 Constitution, is ready to “hold a discussion on this issue.”
“I firmly believe that the law on impeachment is needed. As well as the law on temporary investigatory commissions. I am confident that there should be a discussion on this in the parliament, ”said Poroshenko.
Kirill Koktysh is confident that Poroshenko’s proposal to pass a law on impeachment is caused by an understanding of the inevitability of Zelensky’s victory in the second round. The current head of state intends to lay the legal ground to counter the future president. However, the expert doubts that after the election Poroshenko will retain the former political influence in the country.
“Poroshenko realizes that he has virtually no chance of re-election to a second term. The law on impeachment is intended to be a weapon against Zelensky. But with a very high degree of probability, Poroshenko will lose his position in the Verkhovna Rada, the BPP faction (Petro Poroshenko’s Bloc) will collapse, and almost all of today's allies will become enemies. Therefore, the law on impeachment is not likely to be passed, ”predicts Koktysh.
The assumption of a political scientist was confirmed by RT and a representative of the BPP. According to him, the entourage of the president “understands very well” that Poroshenko’s chances of maintaining the position are close to zero. For this reason, the current head of state wants to achieve the adoption of a law on impeachment before the end of his term of office.
“This is a very convenient scheme. If Poroshenko wins the election, he will not sign the law, and if he loses, he will endorse the document. But it will be already directed against Vladimir Zelensky. Poroshenko does not want to leave politics, so he plans to initiate the transition of Ukraine to a parliamentary-presidential republic, that is, the prime minister appointed by the Rada should receive basic powers. They are just hoping to become Poroshenko, ”explained the source RT.
The RT interlocutor in the Batkivshchyna party said that at present BPP is conducting negotiations with other factions on the formation of a broad coalition in the new convocation of the Verkhovna Rada. In this case, the parliamentary union controlled by Poroshenko (if it is created) will be able to boycott any actions of "President Vladimir Zelensky."
“In the autumn of 2019, parliamentary elections, and many parties want to get into it. In addition, you can earn political points on criticizing all possible actions of the new president. Moreover, absolutely all political parties that are now represented in parliament will join this process. If Zelensky wins the election, I don’t envy him, ”the source stressed.
- Vladimir Zelensky
- globallookpress.com
- © Serg Glovny
Unsuccessful attempt
Another unexpected statement by Poroshenko on the eve of the second round was a promise not to impose the state language and not oppress the right of citizens to speak Russian. Moreover, the president of Ukraine declared that he himself was “Russian-speaking”.
The RT source in the Popular Front party called Poroshenko’s “intercession position” an attempt to attract votes from the eastern and southern regions of Ukraine.
“In the southeast, the population does not believe Petro Poroshenko, especially after the Rada began to consider the draft law on the Ukrainian language. Everyone understands that after the presidential campaign is over, promises to protect the Russian language will mean nothing. For five years, Poroshenko fought against everything connected with Russia - why should something be changed? ”- says the representative of the Popular Front.
- President of Ukraine at a meeting with voters
- Reuters
- © Valentyn Ogirenko
A similar point of view is shared by Kirill Koktysh. He believes that the promise to soften language policy indicates the desperate situation of the President of Ukraine before the second round. According to him, Poroshenko actually violated one of the basic principles of his election campaign ("Army, Faith, Language").
“Voices for Poroshenko in the first round were given by a radical-minded part of Ukrainian society. There were few such people. Poroshenko now expects to overdrive the "moderate" electorate, but this attempt will be unsuccessful. The best option for Poroshenko is to prepare for a change of residence, as did the former Prime Minister of Ukraine, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, ”Koktysh concluded.