Ukraine PACE delegation head opposes new council in Minsk

Yelyzaveta Yasko, the head of the Ukrainian PACE
delegation and MP of The People’s Servant parliamentary faction, declared on
Mar. 23 her opposition to the formation of a consultative council with
representatives of the Russian proxies in Donbas at the Minsk peace talks.
Ukraine conducting direct talks with Donbas representatives in this council
would amount to the withdrawal of legal and political claims against Russia,
she wrote in a column for the eurointegration.com.ua news site. “In
international law, there exists a concept of de facto recognition, according to
which similar actions  by Ukraine can be interpreted as recognizing the
representatives of the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics the
single appropriate representatives of the separate districts of the Donetsk and
Luhansk regions,” she wrote.

Not only could Ukraine’s positions in the
international courts be undermined, but direct talks could lead to Western
states gradually lifting sanctions against Russia. “Fortunately, a decision by
the Trilateral Contact Group on creating the consultative council is not yet
signed, but only ‘agreed to in advance’ by Ukraine. This means that official
Kyiv has a chance to bypass the Russian trap, and our high officials – to avoid
an enormous mistake,” Yasko wrote. She stressed that those People’s Servant MPs
opposed to the new protocol signed in Minsk (on Mar. 11) support the
president’s program nonetheless.

People’s Servant MP Geo Leros was dismissed from his
position as a non-state presidential adviser, according to a decree signed by
President Zelensky on Mar. 20. Geros was among those who expressed opposition
to the proposal agreed upon by Andriy Yermak, the head of the President’s
Office, to create the consultative council for direct talks
with Russia’s proxies in Donbas. He also signed an appeal to dismiss Serhiy
Syvokho as a non-state adviser for his statements and actions calling for
reconciliation with Donbas. In his response on Facebook, Leros implied that
Yermak was responsible for his dismissal.

At least five Ukrainians soldiers were wounded in
fighting in Donbas between Mar. 20 and 22, the press service of the Joint
Forces Operation reported.

Zenon Zawada: In our
view, President Zelensky has all the short- and mid-term political incentives
for himself to continue with his slow and gradual capitulation to Russia in
securing peace in Donbas. First, he will be satisfying his core electorate,
which wants an end to the warfare. He will also be satisfying some of Ukraine’s
most powerful oligarchs, who have essentially called for capitulation with
Russia. Thirdly, he will be removing an enormous burden for Ukraine just as a
virus pandemic has emerged to promise economic recession. Fourthly, there isn’t
an organized opposition to Zelensky, nor are there leaders to lead this
opposition, which gives the president the comfort to move forward. Moreover,
the situations of emergency throughout the country have created a climate in
which he can pursue controversial policies while avoiding mass protests.

Zelensky’s interest in pursuing his path of gradual
capitulation was confirmed on Mar. 20 by Yermak having eliminated MP Geo Leros
– opposed to the consultative council – from advising the president. It’s clear
that Zelensky and Yermak are on the same page on the need to end the war in
Donbas, even if it puts at risk Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic future. The only
question now is what can stop them, and we don’t see any effective opposition
for at least several months, especially with the arrival of the virus pandemic.