Ukraine leaders devoting little attention to Minsk Accords, Kuchma says

The Ukrainian leadership is devoting little attention to the problems related to the fulfillment of the Minsk Accords, said on Oct. 6 Leonid Kuchma, the former Ukrainian president and Ukrainian representative to the Trilateral Contact Group to resolve the conflict in Donbas. “We often hear assessments from politicians who are far from the situation and often make statements that please some, but they don’t understand the depths of the essence of the statements,” he told journalists. “Assessments should be made by representatives of the Defense Ministry, Foreign Ministry and the mouths of the Presidential Administration.”

On the other hand, the results of the Minsk talks are properly handled in the Russian Federation, Kuchma said. Among those commenting is not only the press secretary of the Russian representative Boris Gryzlov, but “those who understand the problem and those who have a right to comment,” he said.

Zenon Zawada: Not exactly comforting words from Ukraine’s “go-to guy” in Minsk, considering the talks and how they are perceived should be a top priority. Kuchma’s comments speaks to a lack of coordination among the president’s team, particularly among the press staff. Indeed Russia’s political system is authoritarian so there is less room for debate and speculation. The problem with Ukraine’s democracy is that’s dominated by populist rhetoric, and often lacks in depth, realistic discourse. An active campaign by the president’s press team could serve to drown out the voices of alarm.