Kremlin: New President Zelensky's tone is similar to his predecessor's

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky. Photo: RT

Speaking to reporters on June 18, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the tone of new Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky when talking about Russia is similar to that of his predecessor Petro Poroshenko.

“We are still closely following them and we agree that their positions are quite similar,” Mr. Peskov said when asked about President Zelensky's statements regarding Russia.

The Kremlin's reaction came after the new Ukrainian president gave an interview to the newspaper.Newsof Germany. In this interview, Mr. Zelensky revealed what he would say to President Vladimir Putin if the two leaders had the opportunity to meet.

“First of all, I will say that the Donbass region and Crimea are Ukrainian,” President Zelensky said.

“Crimea is Ukraine. And we hope that it will be returned soon. I love Crimea very much. I have been there many times. This is the only place in Ukraine that is associated with the natural beauty and history of Ukraine. For me, Crimea has always been and will always be a part of Ukraine,” Mr. Zelensky told the German newspaper.

The Kremlin spokesman said he had followed the interview of the new Ukrainian president and believed that President Putin would find reasonable words to say to his Ukrainian counterpart if the two leaders had the opportunity to meet.

“President Putin always starts his meetings with the most appropriate words. If the meeting (with President Zelensky) takes place, I am sure that Putin will exchange reasonable words,” Mr. Peskov said.

“As for Donbass, perhaps he should talk about it with the people of Donbass, not with Putin. As for Crimea, there is not much to talk about,” the Kremlin spokesman added.

This is not the first time the new Ukrainian president has publicly addressed the Crimea issue. In May, Mr. Zelensky, a famous comedian, declared that Ukraine would take back Crimea, although the path to achieving this goal would not be simple.

Previously, when he was a presidential candidate, Mr. Zelensky had expressed his intention to ask Russia to return the territories that he said Russia had seized from Ukraine, and at the same time demanded that Moscow pay compensation to Kiev. Mr. Zelensky then said he would make the above proposal if he had the opportunity to meet President Putin.

In March, former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko announced that Kiev would initiate a very important stage to restore Ukraine's sovereignty over the occupied regions, including Crimea, through political and diplomatic means.

Following a 2014 referendum in Crimea, Russia annexed the peninsula, which the Ukrainian government did not recognize. 96.7% of Crimeans voted to secede from Ukraine and join Russia.

Meanwhile, people in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions in eastern Ukraine (Donbass) also voted for independence in 2014.

Russia affirms that the annexation of Crimea complies with international law and the United Nations Charter, based on the will of the Crimean people.