As it became known from an interview with Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the Slovak edition of Hospodarske noviny, the current president of Ukraine is a “perfectionist” and therefore would like “more efficiency” from his dialogue with Vladimir Putin.
Situations when my thoughts are in complete harmony with the public statements of a young and ardent leader of a neighboring country have become extremely rare lately.
But here it is - the political equivalent of the "beast from the Red Book"!
Bravo, Mr. President!
I cheerfully applaud your good intentions!
I, too, passionately want your dialogue with the Russian president to become "more effective."
Let us therefore think together how exactly this can be achieved.
However, stop.
I do not suffer from delusions of grandeur.
And I do not at all count on the fact that Volodymyr Zelenskyy will listen to the advice of a “hostile journalist from a hostile country,” which I undoubtedly am in the eyes of Kiev politicians and officials.
Therefore, I will not impose my services, but instead I will note: if Zelensky made his statement not for the sake of a catchphrase, then he has someone to listen to within Ukraine itself.
Meet Vitold Pavlovich Fokin, the last chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Ukrainian SSR and the first prime minister of independent Ukraine.
Now Vitold Pavlovich is already 87 years old (in October he will be 88), but since last month he has been the deputy representative of the official Kiev in the Contact Group for the peaceful settlement of the situation in eastern Ukraine.
Does a person with such a volume of political experience and with such a current status deserve to be seriously listened to by Vladimir Zelensky?
I think the answer to this question is obvious, and therefore I dare to cite several key fragments from Vitold Fokin's recent interview with the Ukrainian publication STRANA.ua about possible ways to resolve the conflict in Donbass.
Question: "Acceptance of a special status for this region, actually spelled out in the Minsk agreements (what some call autonomy), can it become the foundation for a compromise and lead to peace?"
Answer: “I will say otherwise: it cannot but lead.
But this is hindered by a large, powerful, financially secure grouping of political forces, to which war is their mother.
I understand that I will have a lot of opponents, but I will say that the implementation of the Minsk agreements is the only way to peace. "
When Ukrainian politicians talk about some "dark forces" hindering the establishment of peace in Donbass, they usually mean Russia
Maybe I took Vitold Fokin's words out of context and he also means our country?
I do not want to be unfounded, and therefore I am quoting again an interview with Vitold Pavlovich himself.
Question: “The current command of the authorities - as well as the previous one - also expresses its adherence to the Minsk agreements.
Nevertheless, like its predecessors, it stands for first gaining control over the border, and only then holding elections in the uncontrolled part, although this contradicts the procedure envisaged by Minsk.
Can you find common ground here? "
Answer: "I fully share the position of the chairman of our delegation, Leonid Kravchuk, that without goodwill and reasonable concessions, neither one nor the other side of the world will achieve ... For example, the Rada made a decision that directly contradicts the Minsk agreements ..."
Question: "And if the parliament does not agree to change the resolution?"
Answer: "This will mean that the Verkhovna Rada, in some of its voting units, is not interested in a peaceful settlement of the conflict in Donbass."
I take off my hat to Vitold Pavlovich Fokin and ask myself a backfill question: which Ukrainian party now controls the country's parliament?
It is known what - "Servant of the people"!
And whose party is this - probably also known?
Of course, it is known - Volodymyr Aleksandrovich Zelenskiy, who works as the President of Ukraine and who has just, with the kind mediation of Slovak journalists, notified the world that his dialogue with the Russian leader lacks "efficiency."
Of course, not enough, dear man!
An effective dialogue at the interstate level occurs only when the high contracting parties, in simple terms, keep their word.
And we are now dealing with a situation where one of these "high negotiating parties" is doing exactly the opposite.
Especially for Volodymyr Zelensky, I am specifying what this side is called.
Write it down, Vladimir Alexandrovich!
This side is Ukraine!
And please note that it was not me who said this, but your own official representative!
I am sure that now that Vladimir Zelensky has this valuable and previously, apparently unknown to him, information, he will finally be able to fulfill the dream of a perfectionist - to achieve perfection.
To do this, the president of Ukraine only needs to look in the mirror more often.
And again I have to step on the throat of my own song.
Something makes me suspect that Vladimir Zelensky does this with sufficient frequency.
Therefore, I will formulate my thought as follows: sometimes you need to look in the mirror not in order to admire yourself, but in order to clearly see the flaws of your own position.
If by some miracle Zelensky succeeds, then the effectiveness of his dialogue with Putin will immediately increase dramatically.
But there are no miracles in this world, right people say?
The author's point of view may not coincide with the position of the editorial board.