Battle of Witold: quarreled again in Kiev over Minsk agreements

Ukrainian politicians quarreled again over the Minsk agreements. The representative of Kiev in the trilateral group, Vitold Fokin, proposed granting Donbass a special status and conducting direct negotiations with the DPR and LPR. The statement caused a storm of indignation. The head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Arsen Avakov called Fokin a provocateur, the negotiator was added to the base of the Myrotvorets website, and a petition to dismiss Fokin appeared on the website of President Zelensky. Izvestia understood what had so impressed the Kiev politicians.

Peace formula

Vitold Pavlovich Fokin is an experienced politician. He is 87 years old, in different years he worked in the mines of Donbass and in the government of the Ukrainian SSR, headed the department of the State Planning Commission. In 1990-1992 he was the last head of the Ukrainian SSR government and the first prime minister of independent Ukraine. Two weeks ago, Volodymyr Zelenskyy appointed Fokin as the deputy representative of Ukraine in the trilateral contact group on Donbas.

In a keynote interview, the negotiator made a number of high-profile statements. In particular, suggested hold an amnesty in Donbass… “And on the other side, and on the other side, many crimes were committed, which ultimately must be investigated, and let the perpetrators be punished. But today, in order to end the war and save the lives of soldiers and commanders, my position is to declare a general amnesty, ”he said.

In addition, the representative of Ukraine said that in Donbass it is necessary to hold elections and resolve the issue of the special status of certain regions, “and best of all, the whole Donbass”… Fokin also noted that he is ready for direct negotiations with representatives of the DPR and LPR, “If there is a corresponding order from the president or the Verkhovna Rada.”

At the same time, the negotiator spoke against changing the Constitution of Ukraine… “The Russian side demands that the special status of Donbass be reflected in the Constitution. I believe that the request is excessive. They should not insist on this, ”he said, adding that for reconciliation in Donbass, the parties must meet each other halfway. “In a conversation with the Russian side and representatives of Donbass, we must achieve mutual concessions. If we agree with their demand for a general amnesty, I think they will meet us halfway and refuse the demand to change the Constitution for a special status, ”Fokin suggested.

Chain reaction

Fokine said nothing new in an interview. Ukraine pledged to hold amnesty and elections in the Donbass when it signed the Minsk agreements. Moreover, the agreements assume that Kiev will prescribe a special status for Donbass in the Constitution, so that on this point the negotiator’s position is even more modest than Kiev agreed to. In Ukraine, however, Fokin’s words caused a storm of indignation – the “war party” was struck by the idea that in Minsk one can not only swear, but also put up. The anger caused a readiness for a direct dialogue with the DPR and LPR.

Representatives of the previous government were the first to react. Former NSDC secretary Alexander Turchinov called for Fokin to be fired and a criminal case initiated against him. “The statement of the presidential representative is not just a manifestation of senile insanity. This is a demonstrative transition of Zelensky’s proxy to the side of the aggressor country, ”Turchynov said, threatening the authorities with street protests. Former Foreign Minister Pavel Klimkin decided that Fokin was acting in the Kremlin’s logic. And the party of former President Petro Poroshenko “European Solidarity” demanded to remove the representative of Ukraine from negotiations.

Representatives of the current government joined next. Interior Minister Arsen Avakov considered Fokine’s words provocative. “None of our soldiers should be killed because of ridiculous political speculation. Therefore, the statement of the representative of Ukraine in the TCG does not correspond to national interests. We remember that for every piece of Ukrainian land in Donbass, thousands of our soldiers died, ”he said.

The Rada deputies demanded an explanation and summoned Fokine to a sitting of parliament. A petition appeared on the website of Vladimir Zelensky demanding that Fokine be removed from negotiations; it was signed by 14 thousand people. The representative of Kiev was also added to the base of the site “Peacemaker”. The portal is known for placing the personal data of “enemies of Ukraine” there.

The climax came when Fokine was denounced by those who lobbied for his appointment. “Some comments made in an interview with the deputy head of the Ukrainian delegation do not reflect Ukraine’s official position,” said Andriy Yermak, head of the Zelensky’s administration.

Let’s go to break

Witold Fokin is not the first to be attacked by the “war party”. A previous victim of the radicals was Zelensky’s close friend Sergei Sivokho. In October 2019, he took over as advisor to the NSDC secretary and was responsible for the reintegration of Donbass. Sivokho proposed to simplify the procedure for crossing the demarcation line in Donbass, urged to abandon the “language of war”. “It’s time to correct mistakes, forgive and ask for forgiveness. It is time to change, among other things, the conceptual apparatus formed by propaganda in five years. Stop using cliches – “friend or foe”, “separatist-ukry”. Even in words, we must not foment a war, but heal wounds, ”said the adviser.

In mid-March, Sivokho was going to present a plan for the return of Donbass, but the event was disrupted by nationalists… The radicals first insulted the adviser, and then pushed him in the back. He fell and got up only with the help of others. Two weeks later, Sivokho was fired, and the participants in the attack did not receive any punishment …

Kiev’s timid attempts to talk about the implementation of the Minsk agreements are interspersed with real actions that contradict the agreements. So, in July, the Verkhovna Rada ruled that local elections in the uncontrolled part of Donbass will be held only after the transfer of a section of the state border to Kiev, although the agreements dictate a different order. Moreover, Kiev refused to hold elections in part of the controlled territory, leaving half a million people without the right to vote.

In such conditions, doubts arise about the expediency of the Minsk talks. “Who do the DPR and LPR communicate with? It turns out that Ukrainian negotiators represent themselves. Then what is the point of talking to them and agreeing on something? Tomorrow the parties will sign a document, and the day after tomorrow Kiev will disavow the decision, they will say that these people acted at their own discretion, ”political analyst Vladimir Kornilov told Izvestia.

Bogda Bezpalko, deputy director of the Center for Ukrainian and Belarusian Studies at Moscow State University, believes that Fokin and Sivokho appeared in Ukrainian politics for a reason. “Ukrainian public opinion demands peace. President Zelenskiy’s team is forced to portray the negotiation process, especially ahead of local elections. While this is a timid imitation. But such moods, I think, will grow. Sooner or later Kiev will have to move on to concrete actions. It’s hard to say when this will happen. It may take another five or six years, ”the source said.