The repeatedly announced truce in the Donbass is not respected again. What is happening today was called “local battles” in the reports of world wars.

Ukraine is tired of the war, and more than two-thirds citizens of the country are solely for a peaceful solution to the conflict in the Donbass. Representatives of the United States and European states, taking diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine, call for the same. The actions of the Ukrainian authorities in this direction are reduced to monitoring the work of international mediators and useless trolling of opponents.

The words of the US Special Representative for Ukraine Kurt Volker that Ukraine will not be able to return its territories militarily, should influence those who still live in the logic of military decisions. The only way out of the war in the Donbass is an intensification of work on peaceful settlement.

Despite the worsening situation in the East, opportunistic political decisions narrow the space for a peaceful dialogue: Ukraine demonstratively leaves the working bodies of the CIS, avoiding direct negotiations with the Russian Federation and representatives of uncontrolled regions.

Such actions of the authorities are dictated not by the goal of achieving peace, but by the desire to use military rhetoric in the campaign for the presidential and parliamentary elections in 2019.

Unfortunately, the war itself becomes an element of the election campaign: the authorities write off economic failures and poverty, the restriction of freedom of speech and the rights of citizens. The situation in the Donbass and martial law can be used to manipulate the turnout and results of voting in the zone of the Operation of the Unified Forces, which is closed from the control of society.

However, among the listed “benefits” there is not one that would benefit Ukraine and its citizens. On the contrary, our common interest is peace that will stop the death of people and will restore the economy, infrastructure, and standard of living. Today it is clear to everyone in Ukraine that the current authorities are not capable of giving this to the country.

The Opposition Bloc is the only political force that is ready for a direct dialogue with all parties to the conflict for the sake of it.

The end of the war is impossible without direct negotiations. The sooner such a dialogue begins, the sooner peace will be established on our land. For this purpose, the Opposition bloc is ready to participate in such negotiations and the development of peace agreements.

This is the only way to stop hostilities, the deployment of the UN peacekeeping mission and political settlement with the support of the world community. Only such a strategy will bring peace to Ukraine.