It became clear what Biden and Zelensky were talking about

 

 On the evening of December 10, Vladimir Zelensky gave a television interview, which became his first comprehensive reaction to Biden's talks with Putin. And most importantly - the call from the US president to Kiev after the results of these talks, writes the Ukrainian newspaper Strana.

At the beginning of the interview, Zelenski "took off his guard" when he did not answer a direct question about the autonomy of Donbass.

The president was asked to comment on US media reports that the United States, after talks with Putin, had decided to agree to a special status for the region and put pressure on Kiev to implement it.

 If Biden had denied these talks or not affected them at all, Zelensky would probably have said so. But the president's silence suggests the issue was raised during a telephone conversation.

Indirect confirmation of this was the threat of holding a referendum if Ukraine had to abide by the Minsk agreements.

"I do not rule out a referendum on Donbass in general. This could be for Donbass, Crimea, for the end of the war. It is possible that some country will offer us some conditions. But if there is such a challenge, I will definitely consult with our society," he said. Green.

 By "some state" is clearly meant the United States, not Russia, whose claims have been rejected in Kiev for six years without any referendums. In this case, a nationwide poll may have a dual purpose.

1. To show the West that "Ukraine is against capitulation", after which no Minsk agreements should be implemented.

2. Or to justify to the "war party" that the Ukrainians are simply ready to fulfill the political part of the Minsk agreements. That is, to legalize Western attitudes in the referendum and to shut the mouths of the radicals.

 For now, everything is moving towards the first option. At least the authorities under Zelenski are doing almost everything to sabotage the Minsk process. And the referendum will probably be needed to continue the same policy - to fight the demands of the United States.

Even during this interview, Zelenski assured that there would be no direct negotiations with the DPR and LPR, which is exactly what the agreements in question provide. Instead, Ukraine plans to engage in dialogue between the United States and Russia. Zelensky allowed the creation of a parallel to the "Norman" format Ukraine-Russia-USA.

 In general, the nature of the conversation with the American president can be judged by Zelenski's rather depressing comments at the end of the interview. He reiterated that NATO posed a barrier to Ukraine, called Europe "cynical" about its desire to trade with Russia, and called on the country to "rely only on itself and its army".

This means that Zelensky has not heard anything good about sanctions or military aid from his American counterpart. And this generally coincides with the information of the American media, which is already writing that the road to the Alliance for Ukraine has been blocked for a long time.

 He also did not mention any details about Ukraine's compensation for Nord Stream 2, for which Congress finally lifted sanctions after the Putin-Biden meeting. Apparently, Biden is generally silent on the subject, although Zelenski, according to his press reports, has raised it.

So, the publication concludes: Biden has probably started talking about the implementation of the political part of the Minsk agreements, including the special status of Donbass. At the same time, Zelensky is not offered any tangible bonuses for this (approaching the prospects for NATO membership, money, weapons).