Vladimir Zelensky, who became an involuntary participant in an internal scandal in the United States, faced his own political crisis at home. It is about adopting the “Steinmeier formula” – a compromise deal that should put an end to the war between Ukraine and Russia.
The Ukrainians responded to the decision with a wave of street protests in which they called it “surrender”. Zelensky’s political strength may simply not be enough to implement this plan, writes FP.
Thousands of people took to the cobbled streets of Kiev and chanted “No surrender” after the announcement of the deal, claiming that the formula violates the sovereignty of Ukraine. Giving the occupied Donbass autonomous status would require a change in the constitution of Ukraine, and the party “Servant of the People” Zelensky lacks a majority in parliament to make this happen. Opposition parties reject the formula.
“Autonomy is not something we would support”, – said Ivanna Klimpush-Tsintsadze, an opposition representative in parliament and a former deputy prime minister. She told Foreign Policy that the opposition parties will be ready to discuss other security measures, such as “the withdrawal of Russian troops, Ukraine’s gaining control of the border, or international peacekeeping operations from Europe or the UN”.
“The agreement is certainly ambitious and definitely ambiguous for a certain purpose”, – said John Herbst, former US ambassador to Ukraine, in an interview with Foreign Policy. “Is it because Zelensky wants to control the inside when he makes a concession, or because he wants to demonstrate some flexibility of the French and Germans, not yielding at the same time?”