Ukraine says any form of compromise with Russia will have to go through a referendum

This is the message given by Mr. Zelensky in an answer to the media of Ukraine, the UK and the Czech Republic on March 21. According to Zelensky, security issues will be related to constitutional amendments, changes in the existing laws of Ukraine.

“I explained to all the negotiating teams: When it comes to all these amendments – changes that can be historic, we will still have to hold a referendum in the end. People will have to speak up and give answers about certain formats of compromise,” Zelensky said.

During the interview, Zelensky received a question about Russia’s claim to security guarantees for the two self-proclaimed republics in the Donbass as well as recognition of Crimea, the peninsula annexed to Russia in 2014. but not recognized by Kiev and the West.

In this regard, the President of Ukraine said that the Kiev authorities are ready to discuss the status of Crimea and the Donetsk and Luhansk territories in the Donbass after Russia and Ukraine reach a ceasefire. However, he also insisted that any deal with Russia would have to go through a national referendum to get public confirmation.

This is the first time Zelensky has mentioned the possibility of a referendum after Russia launched a military operation against Ukraine on February 24. Earlier, after a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron in December 2021, the President of Ukraine stated that he did not rule out the possibility of holding a referendum on Crimea and its status with Donetsk and Luhansk.

In an interview on March 21, Zelensky once again affirmed that Ukraine is ready to give up its request to join NATO in exchange for security guarantees. He thinks this is a compromise that suits all parties: With Ukraine, which wants security guarantees, with Russia, which does not want NATO to expand to the east, and with the West, a region that does not know how to act out. why Ukraine wants to become a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).