Not just the loss of Donbas: what hidden demands does the Kremlin make?
Фото: Рустем Умєров
During the closed consultations, Russia has been making political demands that could be critical to Ukraine’s sovereignty. In addition to territorial issues, Moscow is insisting on a special status for the Russian language and the activities of the Russian Orthodox Church.
The American side tends to consider these requirements secondary, but Ukrainian experts see them as a security threat.
Candidate of Political Sciences Andriy Kovalev emphasized on the air of “Pryamoy” that agreeing to such conditions would create long-term risks for Ukrainian statehood.
He called on the authorities to take proactive steps, in particular to complete the process of disintegration of the structures of the Moscow Patriarchate in Ukraine.
“The special status of the Russian Orthodox Church and the special status of the Russian language are time-bombs in the foundations of Ukrainian statehood,” Kovalev emphasizes.
The political scientist also drew attention to the incomplete situation around the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, where some of the monks of the Moscow Patriarchate remain due to legal nuances with registration. According to him, the lack of a clear strategy in the religious sphere makes the country vulnerable during international negotiations.
Russia recently reported that the trilateral talks on Ukraine are currently “on hold.” According to Yuri Ushakov, an aide to Kremlin dictator Vladimir Putin, this is because American negotiators are “busy with other things.”
As we will recall, in late March, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that the United States was offering Ukraine a complete withdrawal from Donbas in exchange for security guarantees necessary for a peace agreement. However, according to him, this option would jeopardize the security of not only Ukraine, but also Europe.
Instead, Finnish President Alexander Stubb said that the trilateral talks between Ukraine, the US and Russia have effectively reached a dead end . According to him, after three rounds of talks in the winter, there are currently no signs of further progress. One reason may be the aggravation of the situation in the Middle East, in particular the war in Iran, which is distracting international attention.
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