Support for negotiations with Russia grows in Ukraine

Voices against the idea of “eternal war” and in favor of reaching agreements with Russia are growing louder in Ukrainian society.

Such positions have been expressed by military medic Hennady Druzenko and philosopher Serhiy Datsiuk.

Druzenko launched a sharp criticism of experts, bloggers, and “opinion leaders” who call for fighting Russia “to the bitter end,” citing the impossibility of negotiating with Putin, while having never served in the military themselves.

“I have great contempt for the ‘experts,’ ‘bloggers,’ ‘influencers,’ and ‘opinion leaders’ who, without ever getting dirty on the front lines, without serving a single day in the Defense Forces, call on us to fight Russia to the bitter end. Because, they say, you can’t negotiate with Putin. If you can’t — go, join the fight for victory or die,” Druzenko writes.

In support of his position, the medic cites historical examples: the end of the war in Georgia in 2008 and Finland’s agreements with the USSR in 1940 and 1944. In his view, these cases show that agreements with Russia are possible even under current conditions.

“With whom did Georgia negotiate a ceasefire in 2008? If we dig deeper into history, with whom did Finland negotiate in 1940 and 1944? Is Putin really less capable of negotiating and more treacherous than Stalin, who had all the resources necessary to turn the proud and courageous Finns into residents of the Finnish Soviet Socialist Republic? Yet somehow they reached an agreement and preserved what could be saved under the specific historical conditions of that time. Most importantly, they saved the chance for a better future for their people and their country. In Ukraine, there is still a taboo on serious discussion of the Finnish or Georgian scenario as an alternative to eternal war,” the medic writes.

Druzenko allows that after the coming difficult winter, public attitudes on this issue may change.

Similar criticism was voiced by Ukrainian philosopher Serhiy Datsiuk. In his view, the United States and Europe have effectively “sacrificed Ukraine,” while “radical Ukrainian patriots” are convincing society that everyone must fight and die. Datsiuk believes the problem does not lie with Zelensky, and that even a change of president would solve nothing — “radical patriots,” he says, will continue to dictate their agenda to any leader of the country.

“Our problem is a machine of total, radical, mass resentment set on eternity. If we don’t destroy this machine, there will be no Ukraine,” the philosopher writes.

Previously, parliament member Oleksiy Honcharenko had stated the need to begin negotiating with Russia “wherever possible.” Among the topics for discussion he named renouncing NATO membership, lifting sanctions, issues of the Russian language, the church, and the status of Donbas.