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Photo from Ukrinform-UATV
The notorious decree, “Simplifying the procedure of issuing of Russian passports for Ukrainian citizens living in the temporarily occupied territories, signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin on April 24, 2019 launched a chain of exchanges.
President-elect Volodymyr Zelenskyi reacted to the initiative on his Facebook. On April 29, 2019, Putin responded to Zelenskyi’s post. And, now, Zelenskyi has responded again.
“I have been thinking long about the ‘much in common between Ukraine and Russia,” Zelenskyi wrote on his Facebook.
“The reality is that today, that after the annexation of Crimea and aggression in Donbas, the only common thing that has been left between us – it’s a state border,” Zelenskyi wrote.
He added that Russia has to give back control over every millimeter of the Ukrainian border lost in Donbas, and this would be the ground for “finding other commonalities.”
“Prohibition of oil exports, the opening of stations for issuing passports to inhabitants of the occupied territories, and keeping Ukrainians captive – is not a jot bringing us closer to the settlement of relations between our countries. And such relations in no way can be called ‘fraternal’,” Zelenskyi wrote.
Zelenskyi also said that he is glad that Russian politicians have mastered the new genre of communication – public talk.
“The Internet, as is known, remembers everything, and millions of people are watching this discussion all over the world,” he added.
“After every ‘Goodbye,’ a ‘Good Day’ necessarily comes,” Zelenskyi wrote, referring to Putin’s last words to journalists when he was commenting on Russian passports for Ukrainians. He said “Do Pobachenia”, what literally means “goodbye” in Ukrainian.
