‘Brotherly’ connection between Moscow & Kiev will see friendship eventually restored, says Ukrainian opposition leader Medvedchuk

Ukrainian opposition politician Viktor Medvedchuk has predicted that relations between Moscow and Kiev will eventually return to normal, despite the “Russophobia” of the current Ukrainian authorities.

Medvedchuk is the leader of Opposition Platform – For Life, a party that advocates for the normalization of ties with Russia. After President Volodymyr Zelensky’s ruling Servant of the People faction, it is the country’s second-most-popular political group. Writing on its website on the 366th anniversary of the Pereyaslav Council, he noted that Ukraine and Russia are two “brotherly peoples.”

The Pereyaslav Council was a meeting between Russian Prince Vasily Baturlin and Cossack leader Bogdan Khmelnytsky in 1654, which concluded with an alliance being agreed by the two states. For some, like Medvechuk, it is seen as the start of unifying the Russians and Ukrainians.

READ MORE: 7 years after it returned to Russia, Ukraine ‘ready to consider compromises’ on status of Crimea – former President Kravchuk

“Historical justice and the desire of millions – the representatives of two brotherly peoples – will lead to the restoration of relations between our countries, no matter how the current government opposes it,” Medvedchuk wrote, declaring that the current authorities “profess a policy of Russophobia.”

The opposition leader listed the two nations’ shared Orthodox faith, victory in World War II, and their common Slavic roots among the reasons why the two countries will eventually restore their relationship.

In October, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Medvedchuk in Novo-Ogaryovo, an estate on the outskirts of Moscow that operates as a residence for the president. During the meeting, the Russian leader announced his willingness to help restore relations with Kiev.

“We are very glad that there are political forces in Ukraine that openly and honestly take this position,” he said.

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