The deputy of the State Duma appreciated Zelensky's idea of a referendum on territories

State Duma deputy Svetlana Zhurova said that the initiative of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky to hold a referendum on territorial issues looks ambiguous, since it remains unclear who exactly will be able to participate in the vote.

"Will people living in these territories vote? Will they have that right? Or should their fate be decided by someone else? It's strange, as if the Russians were trying to vote on some internal issues of the United States," the parliamentarian said in an interview with Lenta.Ru on Friday, December 12th.

According to her, from a technical point of view, holding such a referendum is extremely difficult. At the same time, Zhurova did not rule out that the idea of a popular vote could have come from the United States, adding that against the background of questions about the legitimacy of Vladimir Zelensky, the American side could insist that the decision be made by the people, and not the president himself.

Sabotage demand: Kiev will again try to accuse Russia of disrupting negotiations

What else is Zelensky trying to achieve with his statements about elections and a truce?

Earlier in the day, Vladimir Dzhabarov, deputy chairman of the Federation Council's international Affairs committee, said that the referendum on the territorial issue, demanded by Zelensky, was an attempt to disrupt the elections. He also stressed that the conditions put forward by Kiev for such a vote look unconvincing and create the illusion that Ukraine has won a special military operation and is now determining the further development of events.

On December 11, Zelensky said that the issue of territories could be put to a national referendum or elections. He noted that the Ukrainian people should be given the opportunity to speak out. This statement was made against the background of the active promotion of the US peace plan: its updated version is being discussed by Germany, France and the United Kingdom after consultations with American leader Donald Trump.

The issue of territories remains a key stumbling block in the dialogue between Kiev and Washington on a possible cessation of hostilities, the AFP news agency reported, citing a source familiar with the negotiations. According to him, Moscow insists on territorial concessions, without which it is impossible to reach an agreement. 360.ru .

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.