Zelenskyy's former spokeswoman claims he was ready to hand over Donbas in 2022: President's Office responds that she has been "not all there for some time"
Yuliia Mendel, a former press secretary for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has claimed that Zelenskyy was prepared to hand over Donbas to Russia in 2022 in order to end the war. The President's Office has dismissed this allegation, pointing to Mendel's complete lack of involvement in the negotiations and expressing doubts about her mental state.
Source: Mendel in an interview with controversial American journalist Tucker Carlson; comment from the President's Office
Details: According to Mendel, at the Istanbul talks in spring 2022 the Ukrainian delegation was allegedly ready to agree to all of Russia's demands in order to end the war. The former spokeswoman provided no evidence for this, citing only conversations with unnamed individuals who she said were directly representing Ukraine in Istanbul.
Quote: "I was talking to people who represented Ukraine at the negotiations in Istanbul in 2022. And I was explained in detail that they agreed to everything. And furthermore, which is very important, they said that Zelenskyy personally agreed to give away Donbas."
Details: The President's Office has categorically rejected the claims made by its former subordinate. It stressed that Mendel had no access to government-level decision-making and no involvement in the negotiating process. The President's Office also directly questioned the rationality of her statements.
"This lady did not participate in the negotiations, did not participate in decision-making, has been not all there for some time, and it is not worth commenting on who said what to her and whether it actually happened," the President's Office told journalists.
It's telling that Mendel chose Tucker Carlson as the platform for these accusations – a journalist known for his systematic anti-Ukraine rhetoric, justification of Russian aggression and harsh criticism of military aid to Ukraine. Carlson has visited Russia on numerous occasions and conducted fawning interviews with Vladimir Putin and "Russian world" ideologist Aleksandr Dugin. [The "Russian world" is the general idea of the superiority of Russian Orthodoxy, culture, language, etc., widely promoted by pro-Kremlin figures – ed.]
This is not the first questionable allegation from the former spokeswoman. Mendel has previously claimed that Andrii Yermak, former head of the President's Office, practises black magic, making visits to cemeteries and using "dead water" (water that was used to wash dead bodies). She also called Yermak "a very dangerous person" and stated that she fears for her life. At the same time, she limited herself to very vague wording, citing "her experience" and "connections" and providing no details to back up her claims.
Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!