Ukrainian opposition accuses President Zelensky of unwillingness to resolve Donbass conflict

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Photo: TASS

According to TASS, on August 19, the Ukrainian opposition party accused President Volodymyr Zelensky and the Servant of the People party of not being ready to fulfill their campaign commitments and do anything to settle the conflict in Donbass.

“Volodymyr Zelensky and his Servant of the People party enjoyed strong support from Ukrainian citizens in the elections. But once in power, the president and his political team have been unwilling to deliver on their campaign promises.

“Instead of presenting a peace plan and engaging in direct dialogue with Donetsk, Lugansk and Moscow, the current authorities are declaring that this conflict cannot be resolved quickly,” the opposition Platform - For Life party stated in a statement posted on its website on August 18.

The statement came after Servant of the People party leader Dmitry Razumkov said time was needed to resolve the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

These words, according to the Opposition Platform - For Life party, echo the position of former President Petro Poroshenko. “It is clear that Zelensky's tone and actions are no different from the previous Poroshenko regime.

Poroshenko and other officials of the previous administration have in recent years asserted that the path to peace is extremely difficult and that the conflict in Donbass will be a long one. The previous authorities used this tone to hide their inability to bring peace to the country,” the opposition Platform for Life party said in a statement, adding that such a stance led to Poroshenko’s political defeat in the elections.

“Today, Ukraine needs peace,” the party stressed, recalling that in January it had promoted a plan for a peaceful settlement in Donbass based on the Minsk agreements. “Since then, our peace plan has been widely discussed both in Europe and in Russia. It has been understood by international partners and supported in Donetsk, Lugansk and Moscow,” the Opposition Platform for Life party said.

The party has called on incumbents to fulfill their campaign promises and finally begin resolving the conflict, while once again expressing their willingness to expand the peace plan and push forward the negotiation process.

“The authorities must bring peace to the country and ensure the development of Ukraine. All other ways will only lead to the possibility of being forgotten by history. If the Zelensky government is not able to fulfill the tasks set by the Ukrainian people, Ukraine still has a political force ready to lead the country along the path of peace, democracy and socio-economic development,” the opposition Platform for Life party stressed.