Upon the expiration of the term for negotiations with Russia on the Donbas, President Volodymyr Zelensky has decided to continue negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin and not proceed to the announced "plan B", since the negotiations yielded results in a year. Mykhailo Podoliak, the Adviser to the head of the President's Office - diplomatic adviser to Zelensky, including on negotiations on the Donbas, Andriy Yermak, told this to Ukrainian News.
"Over this year, Volodymyr Zelenskyy managed to do several fundamentally important things that the previous President did not succeed in throughout his entire term of office. The situation has changed significantly compared to what was in the previous fall before the first for President Zelensky Normandy Four summit", - he said.
Firstly, he noted the reduction of shelling tenfold and, accordingly, saving of dozens of military and civilian lives, secondly – the stabilization of issue of the transit of Russian gas on extremely favorable terms for Ukraine, and thirdly – humanitarian aspects and the restoration of infrastructure in Donbas.
"Therefore, if the situation has changed significantly, it allows the Ukrainian team to act differently than it was supposed a year ago", - Podoliak said.
So according to him, we are no longer talking about withdrawal from the negotiations, their fundamental changes or launch of "Plan B".
"Now it is already incorrect to talk about plans A, B and so on. We combine elements of different strategies and continue negotiations in all formats that can and are already bringing quite concrete positive results for Ukraine", - he noted.
In particular, Ukraine is determined to continue negotiations in the Normandy format with Russia, Germany and France.