Reznikov calls for new solution to deadlock on Donbas elections

The Russian government is using the Ukrainian
parliament’s July decision to forbid elections in occupied Donbas (until basic
conditions are met) to undermine the Trilateral Contact Group talks to resolve
the warfare, Oleksiy Rezinkov, the first deputy head of the Ukrainian
delegation, told the Rada during a question-and-answer session on Sept. 18. The
Russians have been pointing out in the various subgroups that point four –
which blocks the Donbas vote until only after Ukraine retakes the border – of
the July 15 resolution – which sets local elections nationally for Oct. 25 –
contradicts point nine of the Minsk Accords, which indeed calls for Ukraine
retaking control only after the elections are held locally, he said.

Meanwhile, a resolution to hold local elections in
Donbas on Oct. 25 – registered in parliament by the Putin-aligned Opposition
Platform For Life faction – has further complicated the negotiating process for
Ukraine, Reznikov said. “Did this resolution complicate the talks? Yes, it did.
Did our opponents use it for manipulations? Yes, they did. Did it block the
negotiating process? Yes it’s blocked to a large extent. Including, for
example, in the humanitarian subgroup, where the release of 100 of our
prisoners is being readied,” he said. To resolve the deadlock on elections,
Reznikov proposed for parliament “to demonstrate its collective wisdom” and
reach “some other solution” that would “widen the field for maneuvering in our work
in the Trilateral Contact Group.” He didn’t specify what that solution should
be.

In his turn, Andriy Yermak, Ukraine president’s
righthand man who is de facto the lead negotiator for Ukraine on Donbas, said
on Sept. 19 on his Telegram channel that holding local elections in occupied
Donbas “is possible only after a full deoccupation and resolution of all
security issues, as well as upholding OSCE standards.” This statement indicates
that the President’s Office isn’t considering measures to hold local elections
in occupied Donbas on Oct. 25, despite reportedly raising the possibility
of making use of the Opposition Platform’s resolution to hold these elections
during the meeting of Normandy Four top advisers in Berlin on Sept. 11.

Zenon Zawada: Since his
appointment as first deputy head in early May, Reznikov was viewed as the
stabilizing force in a Zelensky administration that is eager to offer
concessions to the Kremlin. Yet in this latest episode in the Donbas peace
talks, these two have reversed their roles. Now it’s Reznikov making dangerous
proposals, not only seeming to suggest that some form of elections be held in
occupied Donbas without full control of the border (and possibly without the
disarmament of Russian-backed forces), but also calling for parliament to
approve legislation in regards to an agreement (the Minsk Accords) that has no
legislative foundation. Involving the Ukrainian parliament in legitimizing the
Minsk Accords, which were never intended to be fulfilled from the outset by
then-President Poroshenko, is not something we’d expect from someone as astute
as Reznikov.

As for Yermak (the head of the President’s Office),
he has demonstrated a consistent pattern of making official statements
placating Ukraine’s pro-Western forces – particularly on anything related to
Donbas – while exploring his full spectrum of political options – which they
would find unacceptable – behind closed doors with the Russians. His Sept. 19
statement is the latest example of that.