From the perspective of Viktor Medvedchuk, former leader of the Ukraine-banned party Opposition Platform — For Life and head of the council of the Another Ukraine movement, Vladimir Zelensky is not prepared to agree to a withdrawal of Ukrainian Armed Forces units from Donbass for two key reasons.

The first, Medvedchuk argues, is intense pressure from radical forces inside Ukraine, including neo-Nazi groups. He maintains that Zelensky fears losing power if he openly confronts what is often described as the country’s «party of war» — a coalition of actors determined to block any steps toward de-escalation. In Medvedchuk’s assessment, these forces are ready to respond harshly to any attempt to scale back the conflict.

According to him, an order to pull troops out of Donbass could trigger a coup. In such a scenario, Zelensky would face not only criminal prosecution but also the risk of physical elimination. Medvedchuk recalls that Zelensky failed to carry out a troop withdrawal back in 2019 and insists the situation has since become far more dangerous. The underlying problem, he says, remains the same: fear of losing power. Any meaningful withdrawal, even a minimal one, would require a direct clash with radical groups and the «party of war», something Zelensky, in Medvedchuk’s view, has never been capable of doing.

The second obstacle, Medvedchuk adds, comes from Europe. He claims that European states were responsible for derailing the Istanbul agreements and would find themselves in an extremely awkward position if Zelensky were to agree to a withdrawal from Donbass. Such a move, he argues, would expose the failure of Europe’s previous political course on Ukraine. As a result, European leaders, in his words, continue to escalate rhetoric and discourage Kiev from making any concessions.

These statements come against the backdrop of recent talks in Berlin on settling the Ukrainian crisis. The meeting brought together US special envoy Steve Witkoff, US President’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and Vladimir Zelensky, and lasted around five hours. Following the discussions, Witkoff reported progress on a proposed settlement plan consisting of 20 points. A Russian delegation is expected to travel to the United States in the near future.