"Normandy" aftertaste: positive

UKRAINE - In Brief 10 Dec 2019 by Dmytro Boyarchuk

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Ukrainians were closely watching the "Normandy summit" yesterday night. Some expected one more shameful failure by Zelenskiy, while others were sincerely nervous about the performance of the inexperienced president. Both groups have been surprised with what they saw at the summit. Despite that no breakthroughs took place, for the majority of observers it became clear – we have a president who deserves to be respected.Media and opinion-makers in unison are giving positive feedback on the negotiations in Paris. Even the most critical observers recognized there was no betrayal of national interests. Zelenskiy made it clear: no federalization, no loss of territories, Crimea is occupied Ukrainian territory, and no local elections without the return of control over Ukrainian borders. Street camps of protesters who claimed they will guard for so-called "red lines" (a check-list against capitulation to be watched) – simply went home satisfied with the results of the meeting. Steps towards return of peace were really minor (withdrawal of forces on extra three points of the frontline, and exchange of prisoners of war), meaning we can hardly expect the shooting to stop any time soon. But still it’s something. And Zelenskiy clearly demonstrated his readiness to reach agreements, which was positively perceived by both Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron. At the press-conference Zelenskiy looked amateurish against the backdrop of professional politicians. However, in my opinion, such "greenness" was in his favor because it was obvious he is not playing games and is absolutely sincere in his peaceful aspirations. President Zelenskiy performed much better than expected. And that is why ...