Former President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko intends to lead a new "Maidan" against the separation of forces in the Donbass. This was stated by the current head of state Vladimir Zelensky in the course of communication with reporters.
“Poroshenko’s mistake is only in the fact that it seems to him that he can be the leader of another“ Maidan, ”he said. “He is against breeding, it seems to him that there may be a Maidan ...” He pushes people with his media and his actions. ”
Zelensky explained that Poroshenko is opposed to a breeding of forces, as "it goes in one case, discussed on the streets." Recall, after it became known about Ukraine’s consent to the withdrawal of forces in the Donbass and to the Steinmeier formula, spontaneous protests of nationalists began in different cities of the country, calling it "surrender". Poroshenko takes an active part in them.
According to Zelensky, the wave of disapproval is caused by the fact that his team was not able to convey its position to the population.
“Because information, I think our guys lost. We really didn’t communicate with people. And this is a mistake, ”the president stressed.
At the same time, the Ukrainian leader said that he was not afraid of the "Maidan" and assured that "there would be no bloodshed."
Zelensky believes that his team wants to end the conflict in the east of the country more than Poroshenko’s circle.
“I don’t want to offend anyone, but I think that the way we want to end the war, I think that the previous government had such a desire as ours, there wasn’t such a strong pressure on it,” the president said.
Poroshenko is not able to bring people to the "Maidan", convinced Ukrainian political scientist and economist Alexander Dudchak. In a conversation with RT, he expressed the opinion that the former president is trying to protect himself from persecution by his actions.
“He will be able to spoil Zelensky’s nerves, but the former leader will not have enough financial resources to bring people out onto the street. Apparently, this is an attempt to protect themselves. Poroshenko’s situation is not the most rosy, although there was no verdict. This is a manifestation of the internal struggle in the Ukrainian political theater, ”said the political scientist.
“Forgets that he is no longer the president”
Volodymyr Zelensky also recalled that FRG President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who proposed the formula of the same name when he was head of the German Foreign Ministry, was “shocked” by Poroshenko.
“Because his rhetoric is changing, just as his status has changed. But the only thing he forgets is that he is no longer the president. Well, not even that he forgets. I am afraid that he does not believe in it. I’m afraid that this is a problem at the physical level, ”Zelensky stated.
Recall, October 8, Steinmeier said that he was surprised at what is happening in Ukraine.
“The disputes in Ukraine surprise me a little, because one of the participants, the then president (Poroshenko. - RT ), was involved in these negotiations,” RIA Novosti quoted him as saying.
- © Vasily Fedosenko / Reuters
The expert of the International Institute for Humanitarian and Political Studies Volodymyr Bruter is sure that in fact Poroshenko is well aware of his status.
“I think Poroshenko is aware that he is not the president. He perfectly understands where Sergey Pashinsky went and knows well that he can follow him, ”Bruter told RT.
Sergei Pashinsky was a deputy of the Rada during the presidency of Poroshenko. He also represented the Popular Front party in negotiations on creating a coalition with the Petro Poroshenko Bloc party. On October 7, the court sent him into custody in the case of shooting at a resident of a suburb of Kiev.
Poroshenko appears in 13 criminal cases of the State Bureau of Investigation of Ukraine.
According to Dudchak, Poroshenko is very convenient for the new authorities to shift responsibility to him.
“Previously, he could portray popularity among the people, control the media. In the presidency, he acted like a person who had certain resources to defend himself. Now there are many complaints against him and the current government may well want to shift the responsibility to its predecessors. In this case, Poroshenko would be a very successful character, ”the political scientist believes.
On October 1, when it became known that Ukraine agreed to Steinmeier’s formula, Poroshenko said that it “de facto means weakening or lifting sanctions” from Russia and warned that his party would participate in the protests.
“Regarding the events today, the European Solidarity faction in parliament and our party would like to state that there is no Steinmeier formula as part of the Minsk agreements,” Poroshenko said.
However, Poroshenko is not able to remove Zelensky in order to take his place, said Bruter. According to the analyst, the USA has too much influence on Ukrainian politics and they are not interested in Zelensky leaving.
“Only Washington can weaken and displace Zelensky. But Washington is not up to it now. Now nobody is bothering Zelensky, and on many issues he has carte blanche. The question is that he himself does not dare to take responsibility and initiative, ”stated Bruter.
- © Gleb Garanich / Reuters
Steinmeier Formula
Steinmeier’s formula is the procedure for implementing the Minsk agreements. According to them, Ukraine and the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics should conduct a divorce of troops in the settlements of Zolotoe and Petrovskoe on the contact line.
After that, Kiev is obliged to adopt a law on the special status of certain regions of Donetsk and Lugansk regions, which will begin to operate on the day when local elections are held in accordance with Ukrainian legislation. If the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) recognizes the vote as legitimate, then the law on special status will operate on an ongoing basis.
As Steinmeier himself noted, his formula “contains nothing more than an attempt to turn big steps that both sides of the conflict were not ready to take into a series of small ones.”
So, on October 1, the parties agreed that on October 7 they will carry out a separation of forces. Earlier, Ukraine and the self-proclaimed republics withdrew only after seven days of silence. However, with regard to Zolotoy and Petrovsky, this reservation did not sound, emphasized Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
However, on October 7, Kiev refused to withdraw the forces. According to the Foreign Minister of Ukraine Vadim Pristayko, it was disrupted, as there were shelling a few days ago, and "the breeding will begin on the seventh day after there will be no shelling."
On the same day, volunteer veterans from the Ukrainian Azov regiment, known for the nationalist views of its fighters, took up positions in Zolotoy and announced that they would not leave the village. They also opposed the Steinmeier formula and the Minsk agreements as a whole.
It was precisely the position of the nationalists that stopped Kiev from diverting forces, said the representative of the LPR in the political subgroup of the trilateral contact group in Minsk, Rodion Miroshnik.
“The main reason is the radicals that prevent breeding. What to do with them, Ze (Vladimir Zelensky. - RT ) has not yet decided, but will have to decide, ”he said.