Mendel claimed that Ukraine was allegedly prepared to make concessions to Russia in Istanbul. The Office of President categorically denied this

Mendel’s controversial statement on Donbas: the Presidential Office reacted sharply

The President’s former press secretary, Yulia Mendel, claimed that Ukraine was allegedly prepared to make concessions to Russia in Istanbul. The Office of the President emphasised that she had no involvement in the peace talks and was not privy to Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s decisions regarding Donbas.

This was reported by Censor.NET, citing Mendel’s interview with American propagandist Tucker Carlson and a statement by the President’s communications adviser, Dmytro Lytvyn, in the Office of the President’s chat with journalists.

"I spoke to people who represented Ukraine at the talks in Istanbul in 2022. They had almost reached an agreement. Crucially, Zelenskyy personally agreed to hand over [Donbas], and I was shocked at that moment," Mendel says in the video.

According to her, the president supposedly agreed to this "because it would stop the horrors of war, and now he stands before millions of viewers and says: ‘I cannot give up Donbas’."

The President’s Office has refuted Mendel’s claims, emphasising that she did not participate in diplomatic proceedings, had no access to decisions at the highest level, and has "long been out of her mind". This includes Andrii Kovalenko, head of the Centre for Countering Disinformation.

"Anyone (and I’m talking about Mendel) can peddle conspiracy theories in their own interests about ‘giving up Donbas in 2022’, citing some sources. But the fact remains – Ukraine has been fighting for its territory since 2014.

"The question of relinquishing territories has never been on the table and never will be. In 2022, the Armed Forces of Ukraine fought actively against the enemy in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions during the battles for Kyiv and following the rout of Russian troops in the Kyiv, Chernihiv and Sumy regions. And they continue to fight now," he wrote on Telegram.

For his part, Lytvyn noted:

"This lady did not take part in the negotiations, did not take part in decision-making, has long been out of touch, and as for who is telling her what and whether it was actually true – it is not worth commenting on."