Putin confidante Medvedchuk joins Ukraine political party

Ukrainian oligarch Viktor
Medvedchuk, a close confidante to Russian President Putin, announced on
his Facebook page on July 28 that he has accepted an invitation to join the
Russian-oriented For Life party led by Kyiv media mogul Vadim Rabinovich. In a
television poll, viewers selected Medvedchuk to lead attempts to renew
relations with Russia. “Peace in Donbas, renewing relations with the Russian
Federation and the CIS countries – these are the key tasks that stand before
Ukraine, before all of us,” Medvedchuk wrote. “Yes, these tasks are not simple:
we should learn to listen and listen to all regions. We should learn to conduct
talks and search for compromise. A peaceful, economically stable and
politically stable Ukraine is the goal that stands before us now.”

The For Life party aims to create a Swiss political
model of Ukraine, Rabinovich told Ukrainian television on July 28. “An
independent, neutral state not part of any bloc,” he said, calling for a
national referendum on what type of country to build.

Zenon Zawada: The For Life
party is being tailored as the stronger pro-Russian alternative to the
Russian-oriented Opposition Bloc party led by Yuriy Boyko. If the Opposition
Bloc is still committed to Euro-Atlantic integration (at least on paper), the
For Life party favors merging into Russian supranational structures, such as
the Customs Union and CIS.

We expect For Life will gain enough votes for a
parliamentary faction in the October 2019 parliamentary elections. We also see
even chances for For Life merging with the Opposition Bloc during the current
election campaign for the March 2019 presidential vote.