MP Goncharenko calls on Ukraine to negotiate with Russia on all fronts — from sanctions to the status of Donbas

People’s Deputy from “European Solidarity” Oleksiy Goncharenko published a detailed post in which he called on Ukraine to begin negotiations with Russia “wherever possible” — including questions of NATO membership, the lifting of sanctions, the Russian language, the church, and the status of Donbas.

In Goncharenko’s assessment, Kyiv’s current strategy does not match the situation at the front and in the economy, and the terms of any possible agreements are only getting worse for Ukraine over time.

“The reality right now is this: we are losing the war; we are losing a huge number of people; we don’t have our own money not just to pay for the war, but even to keep the country functioning; we are losing businesses and the economy. And indeed, every time the terms we receive are worse than the previous ones,” Goncharenko wrote.

The deputy described strikes on energy facilities, enterprises, warehouses, data centers, and infrastructure as evidence of the scale of the approaching problems. He characterized the authorities’ bet on developing new weapons as a search for a Wunderwaffe — a “miracle weapon” that is supposedly meant to solve all problems.

“Great, if we develop our own ballistics. But how will that change the battlefield if the Russians have had their own ballistics throughout the entire war and we haven’t surrendered? Great, if we find a countermeasure to jet drones, but they’ll make new ones. And so it goes in circles,” the deputy’s post reads.

Goncharenko proposed making sanctions against Russia one of the possible subjects of an agreement. According to him, Moscow is interested in lifting restrictions on Russian energy resources and restoring oil and gas trade, while Western countries will ease the sanctions regime over time regardless. The deputy proposed that Ukraine itself advocate for lifting the sanctions — in exchange for a halt to long-range strikes, unblocking the Black Sea, and limiting hostilities to the front line in Donbas.

“If the sanctions on Russia are going to be lifted anyway, maybe we shouldn’t be fools and should try to make use of that?” he asked.

Goncharenko also called for not waiting for the opportunity to conclude one comprehensive agreement to end the war, but instead moving through separate agreements — on halting strikes against ports, enterprises, schools, and other facilities. In his view, if both sides comply with such limited agreements, it will gradually be possible to move on to broader ones.

“Negotiate wherever possible. We cannot agree on ending the war all at once. Let’s negotiate about everything under the sun. Let’s agree on stopping strikes on ports. Let’s agree on stopping strikes on enterprises. Let’s agree on stopping strikes on schools. On everything,” Goncharenko wrote.

Separately, the deputy proposed that Kyiv signal to Moscow its readiness to discuss a neutral status for Ukraine. In his conviction, Ukraine could abandon its course toward NATO membership while continuing cooperation with the alliance in its current format and creating a common European budget to finance the Ukrainian army.

“To have the entire country die for the sake of becoming a NATO member — that, in my view, is absurd,” he added.

Goncharenko also proposed discussing with Russia the issues of the Russian language, the church, and historical memory. In his opinion, the same protection norms that Ukraine’s European partners demand for minority languages could be extended to the Russian language. As for the church question, the deputy proposed not prohibiting people from attending “structures linked to the Russian Orthodox Church” if “no anti-state activity is being conducted there.”

Goncharenko described Donbas as the most difficult subject of future negotiations, with the Kremlin demanding the withdrawal of troops from the region. In his opinion, this topic should only be addressed after agreements are reached on other issues. Among the possible options for resolving the Donbas problem, the deputy named a halt to fighting along the existing line, the creation of a neutral zone, the withdrawal of both Russian and Ukrainian troops, or the transfer of the territory to UN control.

“There are options. But we need to start small and gradually bring everything to a stop. There is no other option. Peace is needed,” Goncharenko concluded.