Kuchma: Makron and Merkel to Push Zelenskiy to Make Unacceptable Concessions to Putin

France and Germany will push President Zelenskiy to make trade-offs, such as approving a plan for the separatists to hold local elections in the areas they control without any oversight by the Ukrainian government, said Kuchma. The Ukrainian president’s envoy for peace talks Leonid Kuchma in an interview with The Asociated Press expressed concern Friday that the leaders of France and Germany will push Ukraine to make unacceptable concessions to Russia. “I don’t have a lot of hope, Zelenskiy will have a very hard time — it will be one against three people,” said Kuchma. He is also concerned that France and Germany, who are mediating the talks, will push President Zelenskiy to make trade-offs, such as approving a plan for the separatists to hold local elections in the areas they control without any oversight by the Ukrainian government. Ukraine is committed to the peace accords it signed in Minsk, in 2015, Kuchma said, but he insisted that Russia should pressure separatists to lay down their arms and allow Ukrainian troops to take control of the border first, before a political solution is discussed. Kuchma emphasized that elections in the Donbas are possible only after the border with Russia is under the control of Ukraine. Korrespondent