photo: oficiallzelensky-tg
MOSCOW - 5 August. Zelensky floats the idea of holding a referendum in Ukraine and letting the people decide on territorial concessions; anti-immigration protests erupt in Britain; Moscow will continue its fight to free Russians detained in the US. These reports were front page headlines across Russia on Monday.
Zelensky's idea of letting the people decide on zoning concessions is unworkable.
The recent remarks by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that "no president, no one man, not even all the presidents of the world can solve the question of Ukraine's territorial integrity without the Ukrainian people" have sparked considerable debate. Zelensky's statement, made in an interview with the French newspaper Le Monde, has fuelled the debate on the possibility of holding a referendum in Ukraine, which could theoretically open the door to negotiations on a solution to the Ukrainian crisis.
If a majority of Ukrainians express a desire to end hostilities and adjust borders based on current realities, this could open the way to a solution to the conflict between Moscow and Kiev. The Russian side, however, remains skeptical of the Ukrainian authorities' willingness to take this type of step, as holding such a plebiscite would automatically raise questions about why Kiev refrained from holding presidential elections, which would shed an undesirable light on Zelensky's legitimacy in the process, Russian Foreign Ministry Ambassador Rodion Miroshnik told Izvestiya.
Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said he did not know whether anyone in Kiev was currently preparing such a referendum, adding that it was a very complicated and technical procedure. "I doubt that (any referendum) will be held. On the other hand, this is a puppet regime and if for some reason it is decided to hold it, it will take place and bring the necessary result," he claimed.
Moreover, a national referendum cannot be held during a state of war or emergency, even if the President or the Supreme Council (Parliament) decides to call a referendum. Moreover, the country's constitution does not give the people the right to initiate a plebiscite on territorial changes.
"The writing on the wall is that Donald Trump may come to power in the United States, and he has already said that the conflict should be ended. Moreover, there is a sentiment inside Ukraine that the conflict must be ended on any terms. And Zelensky is now simply trying to shift responsibility to the Ukrainian people," the former lawmaker said.
TASS/gnews.cz-jav
https://tass.com/pressreview/1825275
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