Controversial Ukrainian MP writes letter to Trump and urges Zelenskyy to engage in dialogue with Russia; Ukrainian President's Office responds

Ukrainian MP Yevhenii Shevchenko has announced that he has written a letter to US President-elect Donald Trump asking him to help stop Ukraine's "slide into dictatorship" and urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to engage in dialogue with the aggressor state of Russia.

Source: Shevchenko on Telegram

Quote from Shevchenko: "It's high time, comrade president, to start a dialogue. I understand that you'll have to leave afterwards. But the country comes before personal ambitions. I'll help you if you need it. I'll go to Minsk again. We'll solve everything. All you have to do is start. If you’re unwilling, you will be forced to leave – forced by those in the Western world who were applauding you just yesterday."

Details: In another post, Shevchenko announced that he would submit a bill to the Ukrainian parliament in a bid to put an end to the "political persecution against Ukrainian MPs".

"Oleksandr Dubinskyi, Artem Dmytruk, Nestor Shufrych – all of them should return to the parliamentary hall. Criminal prosecutions against public figures should also be stopped: Hennadii Balashov, Denys Yelyseievych, Ruslan Kotsaba and even Oleksii Arestovych, among others...

All of them, and many others, should return to Ukraine, having the opportunity to continue their enlightening work freely and calmly," the MP said.

"I've written a letter to Donald Trump and [US Vice President-elect] J.D. Vance, seeking their help to stop the rise of authoritarianism, dictatorship, and lawlessness in Ukraine and to restore democracy and freedom of speech to its political landscape," Shevchenko said.

Andrii Yermak, Head of the Ukrainian President's Office, responded to the MP's comments on his Telegram account, stating that Ukraine’s only path to victory against the aggressor lies in President Zelenskyy's Victory Plan and Peace Formula.

Quote from Yermak: "Some MPs seem to be confused about national security, national interests and the future of the country.

If they believe that national interests equate to Ukraine’s defeat, they are gravely mistaken – and acting in the interests of the Russian Federation.

Ukraine's Victory Plan, the Peace Formula, is the way to justice."

Background:

• MP Shevchenko has frequently stirred controversy with his pro-Russian remarks and open support for Alexander Lukashenko, the self-proclaimed President of Belarus.
• On 20 April 2021, the lawmaker travelled to Minsk without authorisation to "get acquainted" with Lukashenko. He also claimed that more than a third of Ukrainians would like to see Lukashenko as their president.
• On 23 May 2021, after a Ryanair plane was forced to land in Belarus, resulting in the detention of opposition leader and NEXTA founder Roman Protasevich, Shevchenko praised Lukashenko on social media.
• On 24 May 2021, Ukraine's ruling Servant of the People faction decided to expel MP Yevhenii Shevchenko from its membership.
• In March 2023, Kyrylo Budanov, Head of Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, acknowledged that MP Shevchenko had held secret talks with the self-proclaimed President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, at the request of Ukrainian intelligence services. 

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