German, French and Italian leaders’ promises are worthless
This has been stated by political expert Aleksei Dzermant in his talk with Alfa Radio. According to him, the Europeans can promise Ukraine only money for restoration of its part and some weapons. Meanwhile, their words that they would not press in the negotiation process and provide the EU membership are worthless.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi visited Ukraine on June 16th. According to the Adviser to Ukraine’s Interior Minister, Viktor Andrusiv, they ‘brought the EU candidacy to Ukraine’. Moreover, the leaders of Germany, France and Italy offered Zelenskyy to resume peace talks with the Russian side.
“The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, demands weapons and support from Old Europe, but the Europeans, in turn, put forward certain conditions. They claim that it is dangerous for Ukraine to continue participating in a military conflict with Russia, as it may lose even more territories and soldiers. The foreign leaders tried to convince the Ukrainian President to enter a negotiating track, since his position in the war will only worsen," the expert noted.
Mr. Dzermant added Zelenskyy is being offered to somehow negotiate with Moscow, but it is not yet clear how realistic this might be, since the Ukrainian leader is managed by others. “Macron, Scholz and Draghi are trying to open Zelenskyy's eyes to reality, and they probably even promise something. They are becoming more active not accidentally: the front line is gradually advancing, and Russia is realising its goals. The West understands that it is better to stop everything now, since they can still offer something to Russia. Another question is whether the Russian leadership will believe that the West is able to force Zelenskyy to fulfil any agreements. We saw how this has been happening for eight years. It seems to me that this is more an attempt by Europeans to bargain for some normal conditions for themselves in relations with the Russian Federation. It is not yet known how realistic this is. It seems to me that if Russia decides to negotiate with anyone, it will be only the United States. Even the rhetoric of the Russian leaders shows that their attitude towards the Europeans is absolutely disrespectful,” he stated.
According to the expert, from a symbolic point of view, the visit of the leaders of Germany, France and Italy will bring nothing. “All this moral support is not worth a damn. For example, the EU candidate status can last for decades – as confirmed by Turkey’s example. In reality, the Europeans can promise Ukraine only money for restoration of its part and some weapons. Their words that they will not press in the negotiation process and will provide the EU membership are worthless.
