Oleksiy Arestovych, a long-time advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, has now sharply criticized the incumbent – and intends to run against him in the next election. At the same time, Arestovych has called for Ukraine to enter into negotiations with Moscow.
After conflicts with Zelensky’s circle, he resigned from his position in January 2023, as reported by Stern. For some time now, Arestovych has been residing in Europe and the USA, accusing the country’s leadership of political persecution. According to n-tv.de, he called for the initiation of negotiations with Russia, arguing that it is “senseless” to continue fighting, which only means “dozens and hundreds of new deaths every day.”
According to Stern, Arestovych made the following proposal: “We freeze the conflict, achieve a situation that is similar to the Cold War between the Federal Republic and the GDR. We do not give up the territories occupied by Russia, but we commit ourselves not to retake them by military means. That is, we make a deal for the time being. If NATO then admits us, its protection will only extend to the territory that is de facto controlled by Ukraine. The return of the occupied territories we will pursue by political means.”
Image: President.gov.ua, Робоча поїздка Президента України на Запоріжжя 70, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (Image size changed)
