Will Donbas have to be ceded? Zelenskyy shifts responsibility onto Ukrainians. VIDEO

Maryna Danyliuk-Yarmolaieva, in Uncensored, reflects on the peace talks. What new elements have emerged, and what is worth paying attention to?

First. There has been specific talk that security guarantees for Ukraine should be ratified by Congress. That is at least something, because Congress is an official body, not a matter of someone’s word of honor, as had been proposed earlier. Under this option, Ukraine is being offered "the most reliable set of security protocols they have ever seen. It is a very, very strong package." Just two days ago, the discussion was simply about 15-year security guarantees.
Second. As always, the fiercest fight is over the issue of Donbas. And right away, there is an attempt to shift responsibility for territorial changes that would be to Ukraine’s detriment by putting them to a referendum. Zelenskyy went as far as saying that Ukrainian citizens who are abroad will definitely take part in a referendum on territorial issues, if it is held. However, organising such a vote would require time and preparation. Zelenskyy and his team faced a choice between pushing through a very unseemly ceasefire in parliament and shifting it onto the shoulders of citizens and they chose the latter. It is entirely possible that the statement about letting our overseas activists vote in such a referendum was meant to butter up Trump. Because if not, then it is a mess — it could split Ukrainian society, with war-weary Ukrainians abroad supposedly deciding the fate of our territories. At the same time, Trump said Putin is not going to stop firing on Ukraine on the day of the referendum.

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