Poroshenko: “Remember that Putin is a former KGB Officer”.
Never trust Vladimir Putin and only negotiate from a position of strength. These are the two pieces of advice that former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko addresses to anyone engaged in talks with the Kremlin, starting with his rival, the current Head of State Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
In an interview given in Munich, Poroshenko expressed strong concern regarding the progress of U.S.-mediated peace negotiations concerning the war in Ukraine.
“Putin is not negotiating, he is pursuing a historical design.”
Poroshenko, who served as president following the 2013-2014 Euromaidan revolution, views the failed Minsk Agreements of 2014 and 2015 as a lesson that remains relevant today. “Those agreements, signed by Ukraine, Russia, France, and Germany, were intended to freeze the conflict in the Donbas, but they did not hold.”
According to the former Ukrainian leader, the current negotiating phase, which involves Russian and Ukrainian delegations meeting in Geneva with American emissaries, risks replicating past mistakes.
“Putin is not haggling to obtain better conditions,” Poroshenko argues. “He wants to restore the Soviet Union, to rebuild the Russian Empire. He dreams of his place in history, regardless of the cost in human lives.”
In his view, the Kremlin’s demand for further territorial concessions in eastern Ukraine does not merely serve a military objective, but is part of a strategy of “internal destabilization.” “This is the Russian scenario. Remember that Putin is a former KGB officer. He is a specialist in these types of operations,” he stated.
Criticism of Zelenskyy and Europe.
Poroshenko believes that Zelenskyy made a mistake by accepting negotiations that exclude Europe. In his assessment, neither Zelenskyy nor U.S. President Donald Trump fully understands the true nature of Putin’s strategy.
The former president argues that Europe must assert itself at the bargaining table, echoing French President Emmanuel Macron’s call for the continent’s direct participation in the talks. This is a step that, according to Poroshenko, should also be supported by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
“Europe is currently funding Ukraine; it has every right to sit at the table,” he asserted, while acknowledging that an agreement would be impossible without the United States.
National unity and political crisis.
On the domestic front, Poroshenko highlighted a fragile political landscape marked by scandals and parliamentary tensions. In his judgment, Zelenskyy may eventually find himself forced to form a government of national unity.
Photo Genevieve Engel Copyright: © European Union 2017 – Source : EP
