Will Zelensky make unacceptable concessions to Putin?

In my blog entry of  (28 August 2019) wrote that,

"But can Zelensky either :-

• ignore Bolton's caution about 'rushing into action' when dealing with Putin about his war with Ukraine in the Donbas and his annexation of Ukraine's Crimea or
• ignore Macron's steamrollering towards a  Normandy Format meeting with Putin because of the expanding economic links between French and Russian businessmen or
• ignore Merkel steamrollering the completion of Nord Stream 2 between Germany and Putin?"

Let us also remind ourselves that,

"...Merkel and Macron are now of the opinion that,

• the withdrawal of Russian forces from the Donbas, 
• disarmament of local proxy forces and 
• restoration of Ukrainian control along the Ukraine-Russia border, 

are merely defined as aspirations, rather than indispensable preconditions to any “elections” in Donetsk-Luhansk (Vladimir Socor :Ukrinform, April 12, 13)"

Vladimir Soldatkin (right) now informs us that,

"Russia is ready to take part in a four-way summit in Paris to try to breathe life into the stalled Ukrainian peace process but has strict preconditions for such a meeting, a senior Kremlin aide said on Friday." (Reuters : 13 September 2019) (my emphasis)

The strict preconditions that Putin has set fort for this Normandy Format meeting are :-

• The rival armed forces in eastern Ukraine should be separated on either side of the line of contact
• The wording on a special status for the Donbass region should be agreed, and
• There must be a preliminary agreement on what the summit’s conclusions should be. (ibid Soldatkin) (my emphasis)

Leonid Kuchma (left), Zelensky's envoy for peace talks with Russia-backed separatists in the Donbas,

"is now expressing alarm that,"... the leaders of France and Germany [Macron and Merkel] will push Ukraine to make unacceptable concessions to Russia.

...

he is concerned that France and Germany, who are mediating the talks, will push Zelenskiy to make trade-offs, such as approving a plan for the separatists to hold local elections in the areas they control without any oversight by the Ukrainian government.

"I don't have a lot of hope," Kuchma said when asked about a much-anticipated meeting of Zelenskiy with the leaders of Russia, France and Germany. "Zelenskiy will have a very hard time — it will be one against three people." (VOA News (Associated Press) : 13 September 2019) (my emphasis)

Meanwhile, addressing the Yalta European Strategy (YES) forum (13 Sept. 2019), Zelensky,

• warned the West against lifting sanctions on Russia as France pushes for rapprochement with Moscow.
• said that he had a "feeling" that Russian President Vladimir Putin was ready to improve ties with Ukraine.... That feeling was based "on many things," he said. "From our (phone) calls to the political situation in the world on the whole."
• said that he would push for the return of Crimea but admitted it would be "the most complicated" issue. (CNA : 13 September 2019) (my emphasis)

As I wrote on 31 August,

"ALL BETS ARE NOW OFF!!"

 Zelensky statements at the YES forum seems to indicate that he is amenable to :- 

• accepting Putin's preconditions for a soon-to-be Normandy Format meeting (cf Vladimir Soldatkin above), 
•  accepting Macron and Merkel's opinion that (i) the withdrawal of Russian forces from the Donbas, (ii) disarmament of local proxy forces and (iii) restoration of Ukrainian control along the Ukraine-Russia border, are merely  aspirations, rather than indispensable preconditions to the holding of elections in the occupied Donbas,

and all of this based on his "feeling" that Russian President Vladimir Putin was ready to improve ties with Ukraine.

  

And whilst,

"On Thursday, the European Union extended by six months sanctions against Russian and Ukrainian officials while economic penalties were extended in June."(ibid CNA),

it is also reported that,

"French President Emmanuel Macron has in recent weeks pushed for a review of ties with Russia, indicating that more sanctions against Moscow were not in France's interests. (ibid CNA)

And let us not forget Merkel and her Nord Stream2 project.

As reported by Brian Parkin and Vanessa Dezem, 

"Germany is confident that hitches threatening the Russian-led Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline will be resolved to allow completion of the project on time this year.

...

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government is becoming more vocal in its support for the project after years of parrying queries over its stance toward importing more Russian gas." (Bloomberg : 12 September 2019) (my emphasis)

So will Zelensky, as Kuchma warns, make unacceptable concessions to Putin at the forthcoming Normandy Format meeting?

(to be continued)