Today, at a meeting with a U.S. Senate delegation, Zelensky, the President of Ukraine, stated that Kiev is conducting a war with Russia. It partly gives an explanation of why his deputy chief of staff was seen with UNA-UNSO documents. Unlike the president, Timoshenko put forth an unexpected proposal: to start negotiating with Russia with a clean slate. At the same time, the internal political struggle in Ukraine started showing new colors. The Rada refused to dismiss Prime Minister Groysman and Saakashvili is already aiming for the post of a presidential advisor while proposing a fire sale. Meanwhile, Poroshenko joined the EU on his own. How does all of this fit into a single government?
Alexander Belilov tried to figure that out.
INDIVIDUAL VOTING VOTING RESULTS
"Ninety-seven ayes. The measure hasn't passed".
Prime Minister Groysman, whom Zelensky asked to leave, saved his post thanks to the MPs from Poroshenko's block who refused to vote for his dismissal. In his speech, the head of the outgoing administration sent his subtle regards to Kolomoisky and Zelensky.
"A default is definitely not my scenario. We should do everything we can to prevent people from considering the changes we have started as a work of shoddy workmanship".
When an attempt to dismiss the entire cabinet failed, Vladimir Zelensky, it seems, decided to deal with each minister one at a time. He has already introduced a dismissal order for Klimkin, the Head of the MFA; Poltorak, the Minister of Defense; and Hrytsak, the Head of the SBU. Zelensky himself is in Lvov Oblast, where two miners died in one of the mines.
- What can we do for you?
- A miner is not a hobo. They haven't been paying us for a month. This hasn't happened since 1996.
There's a curious detail. Zelensky is talking to the journalists while in the background we can see the Deputy Chief of Staff holding a file clearly showing the UNSO logo. We can only guess what kind of papers the file contains. During his conversation with the miners, the president had an argument with the journalists of the Pryamii Channel, which is Poroshenko's channel. It looks like the guards got careless, failing to prevent an embarrassing situation. Moreover, it happened when the new chief of the president's security service, Maxim Donets, happened to start his job. Before that, he'd been Kolomoisky's bodyguard. The National Security Service of Ukraine has also seen a new appointment.
Now, it's headed by Alexei Otserklevich, who's new to politics. The lt. colonel is a "cyborg" who took part in the battle for the Donetsk Airport. He got famous after his already historic meeting with the head of the pro-Russian fighters, Motorola.
"I believe that we have to make peace not war. So, let's not fight".
After this handshake, Otserklevich was practically eaten alive in Kiev. Today, the statement that an agreement needs to be reached both with Russia and Donbass was unexpectedly heard in the Ukrainian capital itself, voiced by Yulia Tymoshenko.
Yulia Tymoshenko, Head of the Fatherland Party: "We believe that our opinion about negotiating should change. The right strategy is to start with a clean slate. Right now, we need to agree on a POW and political prisoner exchange in an 'all for all' format".
Meanwhile, Zelensky is stepping up his security, and not just his personal one but also his political one. Prior to the parliamentary election in July, Saakashvili's return to the country is quite useful for him, as Saakashvili has his own grudge against Poroshenko.
Mikhail Saakashvili: "However small, I'm still a part of Ukraine's history. Nobody stands behind me—not a devil from Hell, not America, not Europe. Nobody".
pon his return to Ukraine, the first thing Saakashvili did was to go on the air, where he immediately proposed a sell-off of the property of this independent state. He proposed to start with the Presidential Administration Building on Bankova Street.
- Have you been to that building?
Mikhail Saakashvili: "Fortunately, no. It's a disaster, it's a rats' nest. I used to do the same in Georgia, I'm not Ostap Bender spinning a yarn about New Vasyuki. I took the Parliament from Tbilisi and transferred it to Kutaisi. I saved a lot of money".
Today, Georgia's Attorney General's Office recalled about the way Saakashvili was actually spending money. They noted that no matter what his citizenship status is, if any, it doesn't free him from criminal liability. Therefore, Saakashvili's return to Ukraine raises an issue for Kiev—his possible extradition. He has been convicted in absentia on two criminal charges and is a person of interest in a few more of them. In Tbilisi, they were quite surprised by such a warm welcome for a man who is being accused of corruption, the violent disruption of a meeting, and abuse of power.
- Does it reassure you that he's in Ukraine now?
- Now, he's your problem.
- Saakashvili is not a man anymore. My condolences to Ukrainians.
As for the former president of Ukraine, today, Poroshenko received a membership card of his updated party, the European Solidarity Party. They already make jokes in Ukraine: Poroshenko's dream about joining the EU has come true at last.
Alexander Belilov, Anna Kolk, Alexander Shevchuk, and Pavel Alexeev, Vesti.
