MOSCOW, March 21. /TASS/. After Ukraine came out a loser at the Jeddah talks, Vladimir Zelensky is focused on damage control, trying to save his reputation and keep his regime afloat, said political strategist Mikhail Pavliv, who previously worked in Ukraine.
"In the non-public part of the negotiations in Jeddah, Ukraine lost big. And now it is a matter of the regime’s survival, or rather, of its top officials, politically and even physically. That's why we’re seeing these reputation-driven 'stand-ups,'" he told TASS.
The expert explained that in Jeddah, the Americans got everything they wanted in the military aspect from Ukraine very quickly. The issue of the political structure and political reforms in Ukraine in connection with the peace process has already been resolved. Ukraine and its red lines (such as demands to join NATO and non-recognition of territories that became part of Russia), which were discussed first by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrey Sibiga, then by Andrey Yermak, the top aide to Zelensky and Zelensky himself, are no longer at the forefront in the current stage of the negotiation process.
Pavliv said that decisions have already been made about Zelensky. The head of the Kiev regime and his entourage realize the gravity of their situation. They were shown that data about their financial resources around the world is under full control, the expert noted. In addition, they were given to understand that they could be prosecuted internationally, including in American courts. This is why the only question now is to get through this stage with the least reputational losses for each of the parties, Pavliv said.
Hence, the expert believes, all Zelensky's loud statements about the order of negotiations, red lines, and technical groups of the United States and Ukraine, which in Jeddah will allegedly discuss cessation of strikes on energy facilities and navigation in the Black Sea. All this, according to the expert, is nothing more than an attempt to save the regime.