Medvedchuk tells about bonuses for Zelensky from Russia, if he agrees to "autonomy" of Donbass

Viktor Medvedchuk offers Volodymyr Zelensky, if he wins the presidential election in Ukraine, to conclude a deal with Moscow and thus regain control over the Donbass and get cheap gas and investments from Russia. Medvedchuk stated this in an interview with Reuters, - Ukrayinska Pravda reports.

He said that the Kremlin would like to learn more about Zelensky, who has no political experience, to understand whether he is someone with whom he can deal, unlike the current president Petro Poroshenko. "They have no expectations in Moscow. They want to see what will happen next, who will be in his (Zelensky's) entourage, what he will do and with whom", - he said.

The Kremlin made it clear that would be happy, if Poroshenko leaves, but did not comment on Zelensky, saying only that he is closely following the candidates' statements and hoping that any new president will be able to conclude a peace agreement in the Donbass, which has been under Russian occupation since 2014.

Medvedchuk stated that Zelensky still holds the wrong position, but after being elected president, he said, he can change it by studying this topic further. "Maybe, he will come to the conclusion that this should be done for the sake of peace", - Medvedchuk said.

"Nobody talks about the need to make concessions or give something. We are talking about the need to return the people and territory", - he stated.

According to Medvedchuk, Putin may be ready to free 24 captured Ukrainian sailors as a gesture of goodwill. Medvedchuk also says that Zelensky could restore economic relations with Russia.

He repeated that, as before, Russia wants the negotiations on the fate of Donbass to be conducted between the Kyiv authorities, representatives of the pro-Russian leaders of the occupied territories and Russia itself.

Medvedchuk added that he was ready to talk about it with Zelensky after the election, if he won.

As previously reported, Viktor Medvedchuk, head of the political board of the Opposition Platform - For Life and godfather of Vladimir Putin's child, openly advocates the implementation of the Kremlin's scenario of resolving the conflict in the east of the country: giving Donbass wide autonomy with damage to Ukraine's sovereignty.