GENICHESK, February 13. /TASS/. Kiev is trying to gain time or money as it alternates between refusing to cede land and agreeing to such a scenario, but the United States is running out of patience, senator Igor Kastyukevich from the Kherson Region told TASS.
"[Ukraine's Vladimir] Zelensky is playing the shell game with [US President Donald] Trump in a silly assumption that he will manage to buy time or money. But the Kiev regime will be given neither of the two options," he opined. "Territorial issues have been discussed from the very beginning. And the American negotiators' patience dwindles every time Zelensky says 'We will not cede Donbass and Novorossiya'. And it will be the last straw one day when the situation for the Kiev regime and personally for Zelensky gets much worse. A no-return point will be behind them. Being aware of that, Zelensky is balancing between the 'we will cede land' and 'we refuse to cede land' rhetoric," the senator continued.
The authorities in Kiev repeatedly floated the idea of holding a referendum or a presidential election before they backtracked on those plans, citing a lack of sufficient funds to hold them, Kastyukevich maintained. "One thing is clear: Zelensky has already realized that his infamous rule is coming to an end. Therefore, he is simply buying time, saying whatever they want to hear," he added.
Meanwhile, people in Donbass and Novorossiya have already made their choice, the senior Russian lawmaker noted. "A choice the legitimacy of which has been recognized, including by international observers. And the American side is well aware of that," he specified.
Earlier, Zelensky's aides told The Atlantic in an interview that Kiev may agree to withdraw its forces from Donbass. Ukraine may be ready to "accept the hardest concession of all," they said. To legitimize a troop withdrawal from Donbass, they are weighing holding a referendum this spring.