The Russian Federation has rejected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s proposal to hold a nationwide referendum on possible compromises regarding the Donbas region. Yuri Ushakov, foreign policy advisor to Russian President Vladimir Putin, expressed this firm stance during an interview with "Interfax" on Friday, December 12.
Is Donbas Russian territory?
According to the Kremlin representative’s statement, the issue of Donbas is non-negotiable for Russia:
Yuri Ushakov: “This region is part of the Russian Federation’s territory and will remain under our administration, sooner or later. If not through negotiations, then through military action, this territory will eventually come under full control of the Russian Federation.”
Previously, as noted by the DPA agency, Russia unlawfully annexed Donbas (Donetsk and Luhansk regions), as well as Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, by amending its constitution, in violation of international law.
Zelensky, on the other hand, had stated a day prior that territorial issues could only be resolved by the people of Ukraine, including through a referendum.
An "unacceptable" peace plan
In an interview with "Kommersant," Yuri Ushakov claimed that Zelensky’s main objective is to include provisions in the peace plan, discussed with the United States, that are completely unacceptable for Russia.
Ushakov stated that Russia has not yet seen the new documents being discussed with European state leaders. However, he expressed concern that the new version of the peace plan might be even worse and more unacceptable for Russia than the previous one.
He reaffirmed the Kremlin’s stance that, to end hostilities, Ukraine must withdraw its forces from Donbas.
The "demilitarization" maneuver
For the first time, an official statement was made by the Russian presidential aide: Russia might allow the creation of a demilitarized zone in Donbas, but under its own administration.
Ushakov: “It is highly likely that there won’t be direct military forces there — neither from Russia nor Ukraine. But yes, there will be Rosgvardiya, our police force, and everything necessary to maintain order and ensure normal living conditions.”
However, according to political scientist Pavel Chizhov, this is merely a “verbal maneuver.”
Chizhov: “Rosgvardiya is essentially an armed force, except that it doesn’t fall under the Ministry of Defense. They were present, for instance, near Kyiv: OMON units, the infamous Chechen battalions… In essence, they are still participants in Russia’s aggressive war, and the fact that they belong to a different department changes absolutely nothing.”
Meanwhile, President Putin stated a day prior that Russia’s offensive in Donbas had achieved new successes and added that Moscow's primary objective remains removing Ukrainian forces from the areas in the region not yet controlled by Russia.
Read “Zamin” on Telegram!
Users of Меҳмон are not allowed to comment this publication.
