Zelensky presents foundation of Donbas state strategy

Ukrainian President Zelensky presented on Oct. 30 the
foundation for a state strategy of reintegrating the Russian-controlled
territories of Donbas and Crimea into the Ukrainian state. The strategy should
be based on four components: transparency and publicity, consensus, realism and
implementation, the pravda.com.ua news site reported. “The reintegration
approach must be weighted and pragmatic. We need to clearly answer questions of
what is our main goal and what compromises we are ready to make,” Zelensky told
the Unity Forum organized in the port city of Mariupol near the Donbas
frontline. It’s also important to determine the state’s ability to implement
strategy, show real steps and real results, he said.

The withdrawal of Ukrainian forces in the Zolote
district of the Luhansk region will take three days, military commander
Volodymyr Kravchenko told a press briefing in Kramatorsk on Oct. 29. The OSCE
Special Monitoring Mission will confirm the completion of the withdrawal on
Nov. 1, he said, as reported by the Defense Ministry website. The OSCE SMM is
monitoring the withdrawals along with the Ukrainian side of the Joint Center
for Control and Coordination. Meanwhile, the Russian-backed forces in Zolote
have agreed to open a border checkpoint for transit in the town, said on Oct.
29 Serhiy Hayday, the newly appointed head of the Luhansk regional
administration, representing the President’s Office.

Zenon Zawada: From what Zelensky has presented so far in his strategy, it’s rather
hollow. It’s likely his team is aware that the reality will range from very
difficult in the optimistic scenario to catastrophic in the worst case. What’s
certain is that Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic integration will be disrupted, with
NATO membership more elusive than ever. Zelensky’s repeated claims to the
contrary are merely intended to further convince Ukraine’s moderate majority –
opposed to the war yet also favoring EU integration – to support the current
withdrawals along the Donbas frontlines. It’s our consistent position that
Ukraine can’t have peace with Russia along with EU integration, which is a
widely held view in Kyiv’s Euro-Atlantic community of supporters.