Former official says Zelensky 'was ready to give up Donbas'

Former press secretary to president Zelensky says he was ready to accept ceding the Donbas region in negotiations with Russia in 2022.

Yuliia Mendel, former press secretary to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, claimed on American political commentator Tucker Carlson's podcast aired on 11/5 that Zelensky "was ready to give up Donbas" during the 2022 Istanbul negotiations. Mendel, who served from 2019-2021, stated that Ukrainian representatives at the talks confirmed they had "agreed to everything," including the president's willingness to cede Donbas. However, she provided no evidence for her assertion, nor did she identify the sources she referenced.

Ukraine's Presidential Office swiftly rejected Mendel's claims on 12/5, challenging her credibility. A representative stated, "She did not participate in negotiations, did not participate in the decision-making process, and has long been out of touch with the actual situation. Who told her this information, or whether it actually happened. None of it is worth serious comment."

During the interview, Mendel also suggested that the most reasonable support for Ukraine at this time is to promote a peace agreement. She criticized President Zelensky for projecting a moderate public image while behaving "aggressively" behind the scenes.

She remarked that the conflict has "lost meaning" for Ukrainians, arguing that if the goal is NATO membership, Kyiv has no chance, and if it aims to reclaim territory, Ukraine is still at a disadvantage.

Yuliia Mendel on American political commentator Tucker Carlson's podcast. *Kyiv Post*

At the end of the interview, Mendel delivered a message in Russian to President Putin, calling for an end to drone attacks on civilians in Kherson, her hometown. She described the current conflict as "a war with no winners."

The issue of ceding Donbas was discussed in multiple rounds of Russia-Ukraine peace talks in 2022, but it remains unclear whether the parties came close to any specific agreement.

According to media revelations over the years, Ukraine seemed to have proposed maintaining a neutral policy in exchange for security guarantees and Russia returning annexed territories. However, draft documents from the Istanbul negotiation round also mentioned the possibility of Russia withdrawing from some areas of Ukraine but still controlling Crimea and the Donbas region. The negotiations ultimately collapsed, fighting continued, while Kyiv has always denied ever agreeing to cede Donbas to Russia.