The Journalist: The Graduate of the FSB Academy Andrii Derkach Does Not Hide His Intentions to Change the Direction of This Country Development

Andrii Derkach, Member of Ukraine’s Parliament, who released the alleged conversation between President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko and Vice-President of the USA Joe Biden, is very sympathetic towards Russia, Vitaly Portnikov, well-known journalist stated during the KSF discussion on June 5.

"Andrii Derkach, Member of Ukraine’s Parliament,  has always only favored possible Eastern direction of Ukraine’s foreign policy, rather than Western one. Starting from the fact that he is a graduate of Russia’s FSB Academy, all the way to his association with the people who have close ties with the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine, some foundations related to this church and its informational and religious influence, the formation of groups of MPs in Ukraine’s Parliament “For Russia, Ukraine and Belarus," he said.

Vitaly Portnikov stated that Derkach has his own political views and "uses every opportunity to translate his political views into reality to change the direction of his country development."

The journalist underlined that there are also certain convergences of interests of the President Zelenskyy’s Office "we saw this in the President’s reaction to the situation." 

He named one of the motives of the Ukrainian leadership, which is to demonstrate support to Donald Trump during the upcoming presidential elections.

"And of course it is an additional opportunity to demonstrate certain loyalty not that much to the U.S. as a country, but to Mr. Trump, not as a President, but as a presidential candidate," Vitaly Portnikov said.

"What is going on runs counter to strategic interests of Ukraine as a nation, the interests of Ukrainian leadership as a stable government, to strategic interests of the U.S. as a nation and the interests of its leadership as a stable government," he summarized.

Kyiv Security Forum is Ukraine’s foremost platform for high-level international discussion about peace and security. Kyiv Security Forum was founded in 2007.