Support The Moscow Times!

Ukraine Considers Referendum on Possible Russian Peace Deal

president.gov.ua

Ukraine may submit any preliminary peace deal agreed with Russia to the Ukrainian people for a referendum, the new head of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's administration told Ukrainian television Tuesday.

Ukrainian troops are fighting Russian-backed separatists in the Donbass region in a conflict that has killed 13,000 people since 2014. Ukraine also wants Russia to return Crimea, which Moscow annexed the same year.

"On the question of reaching peace agreements with Russia, we are considering holding a popular referendum," Andriy Bogdan, the newly appointed head of Zelenskiy’s administration, told the 112 TV news channel.

A potential Ukrainian peace deal with Russia should be put to a public vote, he added, “so that not only the deputies vote, so that not only the president, but the people of Ukraine decide.”

Zelenskiy appointed Bogdan, a lawyer with links to Ukrainian oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky, as head of his presidential administration on Tuesday. Bogdan was an adviser to Kolomoisky, who is one of Ukraine’s richest men, when he was a regional governor in 2014.

Also on Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the conflict in eastern Ukraine with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and France's Emmanuel Macron in a phone call, the Kremlin said.

The Kremlin said the call focused in part on the change of leadership in Kiev after Zelenskiy was elected president last month.

Reuters contributed reporting to this article.

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just 2. It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more