Any Ukraine peace deal would require a referendum
Kiev Mayor Vitaly Klitschko said Ukrainian President Zelensky may need to hold a nationwide referendum to "legitimize" any potential peace deal with Russia.
Mr Klitschko believes that any move Zelensky makes could put him at risk of “political suicide”.
In an interview with the Italian daily Corriere della Sera on July 21, the mayor of the Ukrainian capital predicted that the “next few months” would be “very difficult” for Zelensky. “We are waiting for the US elections, but to establish peace, we will need a referendum,” he said.
Mr Klitschko believes a nationwide vote would be necessary to “legitimise” a potential peace deal with Moscow, as any compromise would be difficult to explain to the Ukrainian public. However, the Kiev mayor stressed that continuing hostilities for several more years was not an option either.
“I don’t think [Zelensky] can reach such painful and important agreements on his own without public legitimacy,” Klitschko said. “How to explain to the country that it is necessary to give up territories that cost the lives of thousands of our military heroes? Any move he makes risks political suicide. It would be a nightmare if we had to fight for another two years,” the mayor added.
The official said that forming an Israeli-style national unity government could be an option for Ukraine to overcome the difficult period and “legitimize” a potential peace deal. “However, I don’t think [Zelensky] is ready to give up centralized power in his hands while imposing martial law,” Klitschko admitted.
Mr. Zelensky remains in power in Ukraine even though his term officially expired in May. He decided not to hold presidential elections because of martial law due to the conflict with Russia. Moscow has signaled that Zelensky's legitimacy has "expired" and no longer considers him a real president of the country./.
