The former President of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma left our delegation in the Trilateral contact group (for settling the conflict in the Donbass — approx. ed.). Kuchma argues that over the past year the work of the contact group resumed and made significant progress. However, it really does not explain what it is in the style of Leonid Kuchma — why not want to participate in further promotion.
Well, I’m not used to explain for Kuchma. The former President is leaving the TAG for the second time — he was the first head of the Ukrainian delegation and walked away from it when it became clear that there are no real prospects for agreements between Vladimir Putin and Petro Poroshenko. Even then, the Kremlin decided not to communicate with the then President of Ukraine, but local oligarchs, among whom was the son-in-law Kuchma Victor Pinchuk, was actively working on replacement of the head of state the person who will be able to achieve mutual understanding with Moscow. That Moscow does not seek such understanding, it seems, had no idea then neither the oligarchs, nor their presidential candidates.
Kuchma is one of the few people in Ukraine who is well aware. But he can rely, that the authority he uses the Russian clans that may help the search for compromise. His presence at the talks — a signal to Moscow that Kiev really want to understanding and the end of the conflict. When Kuchma makes sure that this signal will not be perceived in the Kremlin and there is absolutely no interest that Putin wants to negotiate, and to push it out. Kuchma pressure quite interesting. So he went away in 2018. So he’s gone in 2020.
And, of course, both then and now his care was another important indicator — the indicator of completion of the oligarchic consensus, loyalty to the incumbent and the beginning of the search process oligarchs, the new President of Ukraine. Just in case Zelensky this search process began earlier than in the case of Poroshenko — that, in General, it is not surprising, if we are to realize the economic prospects of the country.
