Zelensky approved 10 administrations in the Russian-controlled Donbas

According to the Ukrainian delegation, at the talks in Paris with representatives of the United States and the European coalition of the willing, it is planned to discuss steps to ensure a “sustainable just peace.” At the same time, the day before, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine again extended martial law. Although the deputy chairman of the National Security Committee of the Verkhovna Rada, Egor Chernev, assured that it would be able to be quickly canceled when peace was achieved. But at the same time, Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky created 10 military administrations in the Russian-controlled territory of Donbass.

A Ukrainian delegation has arrived in the French capital for talks with a team from the United States and European partners, the head of the office of the President of Ukraine, Andriy Ermak, wrote on social media on Thursday. He was also accompanied by the heads of the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Rustem Umerov and Andrei Sibiga. According to media reports, during the visit to Paris, the Ukrainian guests are scheduled to have a series of bilateral and multilateral meetings with representatives of European countries (in particular, France, Germany and Britain), which are part of the “coalition of the willing” and are ready to guarantee security for Ukraine. They also expect to meet with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special representative of the American President Steve Witkoff. As explained in the Kiev editions, Rubio and Witkoff flew to Paris to listen to the concerns of representatives of European countries regarding Russia against the background of Washington’s unsuccessful attempts to achieve a ceasefire in Ukraine. The statement of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry also noted that the parties intend to discuss ways to achieve a complete ceasefire and the issue of attracting a multinational military contingent to further develop the security architecture. In turn, the press service of the Ministry of Defense quoted Umerov as saying: “We continue to work with our partners for the sake of the main thing – a sustainable and just peace for Ukraine.”

It is significant that the combination of the concept of “sustainable peace” borrowed from the statements of Russian representatives with the definition of “fair” – which in Kiev usually means the return of territories controlled by the Russian Federation – looked obviously contradictory.

Noteworthy was the decision of the President of Ukraine, Vladimir Zelensky, to create 10 military administrations on the territory of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), which became part of the Russian Federation in the fall of 2022. According to the presidential decree, in particular, in the Mariupol region (again located in the Donetsk People’s Republic not controlled by Kiev), it was prescribed to form the Kalchitskaya, Mangushskaya, Mariupol and Nikolskaya VA.

Against this background, the arguments of the deputy chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence, Egor Chernev, looked especially conciliatory that the decision approved on Wednesday by deputies to extend martial law for another 90 days, until August 6, could be canceled in the event of peace. “The Verkhovna Rada can meet any day, at any time, and vote on ending martial law, even without waiting for the end of these 90 days,” Chernev told reporters the day before. And thus, it seems, he tried to soften the impression of the accelerated extension of martial law by the parliament on Wednesday, at the suggestion of the head of state, 20 days before the expiration of the previous relevant period. Besides, a few days before the Orthodox Easter. Although the first 100 days of US President Donald Trump’s rule are also coming to an end by April 20, Washington previously intended to schedule possible progress in the peaceful settlement of the current military conflict with the Russian Federation.

After that, the head of the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Ukraine, Oleg Didenko, said in an interview that after the end of hostilities, new Ukrainian elections would be organized no earlier than in three months. “We must prepare as best we can for the post–war elections,” Didenko said. Although, according to his definition, it is also important not to delay the preparatory period, “so that it does not look like an attempt to remain in power without sufficient grounds.”

However, the latest statements to the head of the Center for Political Information, Alexei Mukhin, seemed technical. He stressed in a comment to NG that the Ukrainian authorities deliberately extended martial law in order to demonstrate their determination and willingness to intensify confrontation. “At the same time, the Kiev representatives declare that they are seeking a just peace, although in fact they would like to rewind the situation and return to the borders of 1991. European countries are also pushing Ukraine to raise its degree. It seems to them that a little more and they will be able to put the squeeze on Russia. According to estimates by some European intelligence agencies, the Russian Federation is on its last legs, losing out to the local economies in competition. While the American intelligence services are confident that the Russian Federation is winning. Therefore, US President Donald Trump is now insisting on a truce,” Mukhin continued.

In his opinion, the current situation is due to the fact that the Ukrainian leadership is afraid of the end of the military conflict, as it fears further responsibility. And the leaders of Western states also understand that if they lose, they will have to answer for the money spent, for inflation, for economic distortions and general disorder. “They would like to avoid this responsibility. And they are encouraging Ukraine to take an aggressive position. In such circumstances, the Ukrainian delegation will most likely try to disrupt the peace talks in Paris in order to prevent real progress in the settlement,” suggested the head of the Center for Political Information.