KYIV. Aug 6 (Interfax) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that he is doing everything to return certain Donbas districts to Ukraine and establish peace in the country, but 90% of success in this matter depends on Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"I really want this [to end the war in Donbas]. I am doing everything for this. But unfortunately, not everything depends on me. I think today, and I absolutely do not conceal it - and the president of the Russian Federation knows my opinion - today 90% of success in the return of Donbas, in establishing peace in Ukraine, and in the de-occupation of our territories depends on one person," Zelensky said in an interview with the Dim TV channel on Thursday.
"People in Donbas must understand this," he said
"People should not live with some kind of illusion: if only, if only. There is no such thing [...] Our people like [asking]: is there a plan 'A'? Is there a 'B,' 'C,' 'D'? Yes, everything is there. This exists, but will is needed. Political will. Human will. And from the Ukrainian side, this will is absolutely there," Zelensky said.
Additionally, the head of state emphasized that the checkpoints, which are closed from the side of certain districts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, are "another confirmation of Russia's reluctance to fulfill the agreements on Donbas."
The agreements on the checkpoints were reached at the Normandy Four summit in Paris in December 2019, Zelensky said. "I am a man of my word - we built everything. We brought everyone there - our people, journalists, ambassadors. There are local people who see it [...]. On their part [the Russian Federation] there is an opportunity. That is the problem. Why I say: there is no will. You cannot say that - there is simply no money. This is not true. They just blocked them. It is their will," he said.
The president also noted that a similar situation has emerged with the access of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to the held Ukrainians in Donbas. "Since our agreement [in Paris in 2019], the Red Cross has not had access there," Zelensky said.
The head of state also said that Ukraine does not forget about Donbas residents and will not leave them in the future, but he expressed confidence that the current situation in certain areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions (ORDLO) is temporary.
"It is very important that people hear us and that they see that we know, love, and remember them - in a good way, we remember them while they are alive and we know that they are connected with us by an unbreakable thread, by an unbreakable Ukrainian thread. Of course, no one will leave them. It's unpleasant, but it's all a temporary story. It's 100%," he said.
The Ukrainian president also noted that it is impossible to assess unequivocally the situations in which Donbas residents receive passports of Russian citizens, since this may be a necessary measure for them.
"I believe that we must understand that situations are different. People cannot be divided according to their passports. A person must be perceived in a completely different way. There are measures that are forced in life. And we all, without going through such trials, cannot fully appreciate it correctly and adequately. I think that in terms of the possession of passports, it is difficult to talk about people. It is impossible to assess unequivocally," Zelensky said.
"This is not my condescension to such people. This is my sympathy," he added.
Zelensky also called on Ukrainians who radically assess the receipt of Russian passports by residents of ORDLO, "treat this sensibly, with wisdom" and evaluate the situation in which these people find themselves.
"It is impossible even in informational terms to tell someone there: 'if you have such a document there, then you are no longer ours' [...] The main thing is what is in your soul. The main thing is where you hid your Ukrainian [passport]. It is dangerous there [in ORDLO]. I understand. Therefore, we will not give up people so easily," the Ukrainian head of state said.