Novinsky calls on Zelensky to resign and hand power to the Verkhovna Rada

Former member of parliament and co-owner of Metinvest, Vadim Novinsky, has called on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to immediately resign and transfer all executive powers to the Verkhovna Rada.

In his view, parliament should take into its own hands the negotiations with Russia on ending the war.

Novinsky grounded his statement in a series of events: the agreements between U.S. and Russian presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, the failure of the Ukrainian delegation’s talks in Miami, and sharp statements by Ukraine’s leadership directed at the United States.

“Recent events — the agreements between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, the failure of the Ukrainian delegation’s negotiations in Miami, the sharp statements by Ukraine’s leadership directed at the United States, and so on — point to the need for Volodymyr Zelensky’s immediate resignation and the transfer of executive powers to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. The Ukrainian parliament, whose legitimacy no one questions, must recognize its responsibility to the people, take power into its own hands, and form a working group to negotiate with the Russian Federation on ending the war and on the terms of a peace agreement — without intermediaries, without preconditions, and without diplomatic diktat from so-called ‘partners,'” Novinsky writes.

In addition, the former MP accused Zelensky of refusing to stop the war in April 2022 during the Istanbul talks. According to Novinsky, he himself was involved in organizing that negotiation process.

“The negotiation process — in the organization of which I also had a hand — was moving precisely toward achieving important compromises. But Zelensky chose the path of war,” the former MP states.

Novinsky also warned that any peace terms will now be more onerous for Ukraine than those proposed in Istanbul. In his statement, he wrote that Ukraine has over the years of war lost millions of citizens, thousands of square kilometers of territory, and entire sectors of its economy, describing these losses as irreversible. In his words, the continuation of the war will result in Ukraine’s “complete loss of statehood and a catastrophe for its population.”

Novinsky himself is subject to sanctions imposed by Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, and a treason case has been opened against him. A year ago, a court arrested him in absentia. Investigators describe Novinsky as the “curator of the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine” and suspect him of treason, incitement of religious enmity, and hatred. He denies all charges and considers them politically motivated.