Statement by Petro Poroshenko

In the European Solidarity we understand that the increase of the external threat always requires internal consolidation. The European Solidarity will support any approaches and initiatives of the authorities that bring Ukraine's victory in this exhausting war even one step closer.

At the same time, I cannot remain silent when I again see Zelensky's irrational desire to see Putin anywhere, anytime and at any cost. I think it is necessary to give some good time-tested advice and refresh certain "red lines" for the Bankova.

Let me start with proposals.

First. The efforts to strengthen the international coalition for support of Ukraine should be daily and systematic, not urgent. It is necessary to look for and to find the formula of strengthening of consolidated pressure on the aggressor, instead of dividing spoiling of the efforts by endless spam of "raw" ideas.

Any initiatives should be agreed with the partners before being announced via video blogs. After the revelations about Israel's mediation, you are adding the ideas on including the United States, the UK and Canada to the Normandy format. These are our friendly countries and I would only be happy if they joined the process. How good it would be if Poland and Israel joined as well, we have many partners, friends and allies. However, the pursuit of expanding the format may end in nothing, but in parallel we will lose the trust of Germany, France, and the European Union.

Second. With its ill-considered initiatives, the Bankova risks breaking even the imperfect but the only existing format of talks on peace in Donbas, while failing to get another formats like Budapest, Bucharest, Geneva. Even a hint from Kyiv of a possible exit from the Minsk Arrangements will be a very convenient reason for the Russians to escalate again and to avoid responsibility. It should also be remembered that the Minsk Arrangements are linked to sanctions pressure on the Kremlin. It is not the formats that should be sought, but the formula for increasing pressure on Putin. First of all, you should work on the content, instead of writing the scripts for video blogs. If you don’t want to listen to us, please, listen to Washington, which just yesterday reminded that the Minsk Arrangements are the basis for the diplomatic settlement of the Russian aggression.

Third. It is the deployment of UN peacekeepers in the occupied part of Donbas that can ensure security and stability on the border with the Russian Federation, as well as to quell the Kremlin's aggressive appetites. This is a rational idea, which Zelensky has been ignoring for two years and only now, after wasting time, he began to understand.

We should also return to the roadmap for implementation of the Minsk Arrangements based on the principle "security first", the basic principles of which our team has previously agreed with Germany and France, the countries which represent the European Union. The authorities must abandon the principle "everything that Poroshenko proposed is unacceptable." Zelensky should act not against me, but in favor of Ukraine.

Fourth. The United States have always been engaged in the peace process and pressure on Russia. The Ukrainian authorities should remove a number of irritants, which emerged in the recent past due to their unprofessionalism and diplomatic ignorance. This is, for example, the examination of the voice of the President of the United States on the so-called Biden-Poroshenko tapes, inspired by the Russian agent Derkach. That is also about support of US sanctions against Kolomoisky, Derkach and new personal and sectoral US sanctions against Russia, and what is the most important about continuation of democratic reforms in Ukraine.

Fifth. Since 2019, by skipping the NATO summit in London so as not to irritate Putin, the authorities of amateurs have denied the expediency and necessity of the NATO Membership Action Plan. Only now they have supported this fundamental provision of the political party European Solidarity. Because they understood that we were right. We are glad. Better late than never. But the right words are not enough. Effective actions are needed. We expect that Volodymyr Zelensky will push for receiving an invitation to the NATO summit on June 14 this year and will convince its participants to provide Ukraine with a Membership Action Plan.

Видео Statement by Petro Poroshenko канала Петро Порошенко