MOSCOW, December 18. /TASS/. Vladimir Zelensky is unable to order the Ukrainian armed forces to withdraw from Donbass, as such a move would provoke resistance from nationalists and European partners, who themselves undermined the Istanbul agreements in 2022, said head of the Other Ukraine movement and former leader of the banned Opposition Platform — For Life party, Viktor Medvedchuk.

Medvedchuk noted that Western media outlets consistently report significant pressure from Washington on Kiev and Europe regarding this issue, but Zelensky officially refuses to act, thereby thwarting the US strategy. "The American exchange plan has two major flaws. First, Zelensky simply cannot order the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops; he failed to do so in 2019, and now it is even more difficult. Back then and now, the illegitimate leader is constrained by the fear of losing power. 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 wrote in his column on the media platform Smotrim.ru.

If Zelensky orders the withdrawal, he will face the full force of the war machine, which has grown significantly stronger since 2019 due to his own policies. Nationalists would brand him a traitor and could 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," Medvedchuk stated. Consequently, withdrawing the Ukrainian troops would entirely discredit Zelensky, leading at best to his prosecution and at worst to his elimination by enraged patriots, he emphasized.

"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. This is precisely why Europe rattles its weapons and discourages Zelensky from making concessions," Medvedchuk added.