More than 10,000 demonstrate against Zelensky crossing Donbas red lines

More than 10,000
demonstrators gathered in Kyiv’s city center to demand that Ukrainian President
Zelensky not violate any “red lines” when negotiating in Paris today in
determining the fate of the war in Donbas with Russian President Putin. The
main protest occurred on Kyiv’s maidan, or Independence Square, which was led
by former President Poroshenko, the European Solidarity party that he launched,
MP Sviatoslav Vakarchuk, the neoliberal Voice party that he founded, and the
Freedom nationalist party.

Several hundred
protesters also gathered at Bankova Street where the President’s Office is
located. Activists with the “Guard on Bankova” demonstration set up a tent
encampment there that is intended to stand for at least several weeks. An
attempt to set up a stage was disrupted by unidentified men in balaclavas, to
the outrage of the protesters. Former President Poroshenko had fenced off the
portion of Bankova Street closest to his office, which was reopened by Zelensky
when he became president.

About 58% of
Ukrainians believe that compromises are necessary with the Russian government
in order to achieve an end to the warfare in Donbas, according to a poll
conducted by the Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Fund between Nov. 4 and 19
involving 2,041 respondents. That’s compared to 49% who held that view in June.
About 14% believe any compromise is worth ending the war in Donbas, which is 6%
less than in June. Residents in eastern Ukraine are willing to compromise the
most for peace, while those in west are the least interested.

Zenon Zawada: So far,
public opinion is in Zelensky’s favor in resolving the war in Donbas. And few
Ukrainians will say that they favor “capitulation,” the number is highly higher
than 14% if the terms and conditions are presented differently. So this third
reboot of the Maidan protest has a long way to go in mustering public opinion
on its side. We share the widely held view that these maidan protests won’t be
very effective, as the Zelensky team knows how to deal with them better than
the rigid, authoritarian Yanukovych administration. They seem more like
political parties jockeying for the anti-Zelensky electorate.