Putin - Zelensky meeting: The heavy weight of peace and sovereignty
(Baonghean) - Within the framework of the Normandy Four meeting in Paris, France, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. This meeting took place in an atmosphere of skepticism from within Ukraine, because the people of this country feared that their President would make too many concessions to the famously tough leader, Mr. Putin, to fulfill his election pledge.
"Unbalanced fight"
The meeting between Mr. Zelensky and Mr. Putin was the first summit between the two countries since 2016 and also the first meeting between the two leaders since Mr. Zelensky became President of Ukraine.
This meeting took place after a series of moves to “pave the way” to show goodwill from both sides, such as the major prisoner exchange in September, Russia returning three Ukrainian naval vessels captured in a clash in the Black Sea in November, and most recently the withdrawal of Ukrainian government troops and independence forces in the East from three towns: Zolote, Petrivske and Donetsk in Eastern Ukraine.
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| Zelensky - Putin: "An unequal confrontation". Photo: NBC News |
The meeting is expected to lay the foundation for an opportunity to end the conflict that has lasted for more than 5 years in Eastern Ukraine. The immediate goal is to implement the Minsk Agreement reached in 2015 in Belarus, which includes the parties implementing a ceasefire, withdrawing heavy weapons in the eastern region of Ukraine, restoring Ukraine's control over the entire eastern border area, and approving a special status for the territory controlled by the Russian-backed separatists and holding elections in this territory.
Ukrainian President Zelensky has high expectations for his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, as this is the most notable step after a series of his efforts to fulfill his election pledge, which is to end the more than 5-year war in eastern Ukraine within 12 months.
Mr. Zelensky has repeatedly stated that if the two leaders sit down together, when Eastern Ukraine is silent without gunfire, that is a victory. But from the perspective of analysts, when Mr. Zelensky entered the meeting with great expectations to assert his personal role, he inadvertently put himself in a "lower position" compared to the veteran leader Vladimir Putin.
Before the meeting, the Kremlin spokesman declared that President Putin was ready to solve any problem that Mr. Zelensky wanted. The statement showed that Mr. Putin was extremely comfortable entering this meeting, simply because Mr. Putin holds an extremely powerful card in his hand, which is influence with the separatist forces in the eastern region of Ukraine.
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| Russia has had to endure too many sanctions from the US and Europe related to the annexation of Crimea and its actions in eastern Ukraine. Photo: VNA/Reuters |
Meanwhile, regarding the Crimea issue, Russia has asserted that Ukraine has “no chance” of taking back the peninsula, so Mr. Putin entered the meeting with almost no pressure. In fact, Mr. Putin’s tough stance in the meeting with Mr. Zelensky to demand a special mechanism for the Donbass region was considered a pre-determined tactic.
The reason is that over the past time, Russia has had to endure too many sanctions from the US and Europe related to the annexation of Crimea and the steps in eastern Ukraine, so making concessions to Ukraine will only show that Russia's efforts are meaningless.
Ukrainians want “Ruxit”
The Ukrainian people also clearly understood President Zelensky’s position when entering the meeting with President Putin, so they expressed strong opposition to any move by President Zelensky to “cross the red line”. The “red line” in the eyes of many Ukrainian voters is to ensure the sovereignty of Ukraine in the Eastern region.
Although Russia has affirmed that the meeting between the two countries' leaders yesterday was aimed at finding a peaceful solution for the eastern Ukraine region, in the minds of Ukrainian nationalists, Russian President Putin is not only using his influence with separatist forces in eastern Ukraine as leverage to establish control over this region, but further, control over the entire neighboring country.
As a result, many Ukrainian politicians, including Foreign Minister Gulym Pristaiko, have called for any further steps by Mr Zelensky after the meeting to clearly demonstrate Ukraine’s desired “Ruxit” position. The simplest demand of this position is that all Russian forces and their allies must leave the eastern regions of Ukraine.
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| Ukrainian people took to the streets to protest against Ukraine's concessions to Russia. Photo: AFP |
Along with politicians, thousands of people also poured into Independence Square in the capital Kiev to warn Mr. Zelensky not to cross the "red line" in the negotiations.
They firmly demanded that President Zelensky maintain territorial integrity by all means and demand that Russia return the Crimean peninsula to Ukraine.
Protesters say the peace that Mr. Zelensky is pursuing is legitimate, but the Ukrainian people, the country of Ukraine, will not accept a peace agreement that comes at too great a cost to independence and national sovereignty.
Even President Zelensky's agreement to withdraw all troops from three towns, Zolote, Petrivske and Donetsk in eastern Ukraine to pave the way for a meeting with Russian President Putin, has met with fierce reactions from nationalists, especially veterans.
Some Ukrainian veterans have even set up improvised checkpoints to obstruct this withdrawal plan. With Mr. Zelensky’s intention to hold elections in the eastern region, nationalists are also adamant that the elections will only take place after pro-Russian forces hand over control of the entire region to Ukraine.
According to a recent poll, 53.2% of Ukrainians surveyed oppose granting special status to the Donbass region and 62.7% do not accept amnesty for those who fought against government troops in the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
Meanwhile, a poll by the Kiev International Institute of Sociology found that Mr Zelensky's approval rating had dropped from 73% in September to 52% at the end of November - and one of the reasons for this decline in approval ratings was Mr Zelensky's handling of the crisis in eastern Ukraine.
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| The conflict in Ukraine has lasted more than five years and killed 13,000 people. Photo: Getty |
With the conflict having lasted for more than five years, claiming the lives of more than 13,000 people, the first meeting between Ukrainian President Zelensky and Russian President Putin is truly expected by the world to open a new phase in the search for a peaceful solution for the eastern region of Ukraine.
But whether Mr. Zelensky can make any meaningful progress in the coming period will be a difficult test of his first term as president. It is not only a test of his ability to balance “sovereignty” and “peace,” but also a test of his power to suppress dissenting voices at home.