Scandal over Mendel’s interview: The President’s Office has refuted claims regarding Donbas

12 May 07:45

Yulia Mendel, former press secretary to the President of Ukraine, claimed that Volodymyr Zelenskyy was allegedly prepared to agree to the transfer of Donbas to Russia during negotiations in Istanbul in 2022. She made this statement in an interview with American propagandist Tucker Carlson. The Office of the President and the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council reacted sharply and emphasized that Mendel did not participate in the negotiations or decision-making, reports "Komersant Ukrainian"

What Yulia Mendel said

Yulia Mendel, who served as Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s press secretary from 2019 to 2021, gave an interview to Tucker Carlson. During the conversation, she made a series of critical statements about the President of Ukraine and mentioned the negotiations between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul in 2022.

According to Mendel, she allegedly spoke with people who represented Ukraine at those negotiations. She claims that at the time, the parties “were close to reaching an agreement,” and that Zelenskyy allegedly personally agreed to concessions regarding Donbas in order to end the war.

“At the time, it was shocking news, and I asked: really? Did he agree? And the guys replied: of course. He’s in favor of it because it will stop the horror of war,” Mendel said in an interview with Carlson.

At the same time, Mendel has not provided any documentary evidence to support her claims in the public sphere. Her assertions are based on the accounts of unnamed individuals who, according to her, participated in the negotiations.

How the Office of the President reacted

The President’s Office criticized Mendel’s statements. Presidential Communications Advisor Dmytro Lytvyn emphasized that she was not a participant in the negotiations and did not take part in decision-making.

“This lady did not participate in the negotiations, did not participate in decision-making, has long been out of the loop, and as for who is telling her what and whether it actually happened—it’s not worth commenting on,” Lytvyn told reporters, according to Liga.net.

Thus, the Office of the President effectively dismissed Mendel’s statements as unsubstantiated and incapable of being considered a reliable account of the negotiation process.

Reaction from the Center for Countering Disinformation

Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council, also commented on Mendel’s statements. He called such claims conspiracy theories and emphasized that the issue of Ukraine relinquishing its territories was never on the table.

“Anyone can spread conspiracy theories in their own interest about ‘giving up Donbas in 2022,’ citing some sources. But the fact remains—Ukraine has been fighting for its territory since 2014,” Kovalenko stated.

According to him, Ukraine continues to fight for its territorial integrity, and the issue of relinquishing territories “has never been on the table and never will be.”

What is known about the negotiations in Istanbul

Negotiations between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul took place in the spring of 2022. They were viewed as one of the early attempts to agree on ending the full-scale war following Russia’s invasion.

However, Ukraine’s official position has been and remains that the issue of territorial integrity cannot be resolved by relinquishing Ukrainian territories. This is precisely what Ukrainian officials are emphasizing in their response to Mendel’s remarks.

Mendel stated that people in Zelenskyy’s inner circle told her about cocaine

In an interview with Tucker Carlson, Mendel also commented on rumors of a possible drug addiction on the part of Volodymyr Zelenskyy. She emphasized several times that she had not personally seen Zelenskyy using drugs, but called the topic an “open secret.”

According to Mendel, while working on the book, she spoke with doctors, people who spent time with Zelenskyy at clubs, as well as those who have known him for 20–25 years. All of them, she claims, spoke about cocaine.

Separately, Mendel spoke about a person from “Kvartal 95” who was described to her as a possible drug supplier from Zelenskyy’s inner circle. She clarified that she does not directly call him the “president’s dealer,” but she met this person at the Office of the President and was surprised by his behavior. According to her, he held no official position, looked strange, was overly animated, and tried to make jokes that she didn’t understand.

Mendel also described an episode that, she said, recurred before Zelenskyy’s interviews. She would prepare the president for his conversation with journalists, explaining possible questions and key messages, after which he would go to the bathroom for about 15 minutes. According to her, he would return a “different person”—energetic, charged up, and ready to speak.

The former press secretary also recalled the 2019 campaign, when Petro Poroshenko suggested that Zelenskyy take a drug test. Zelenskyy agreed, but a scandal later arose because the published results were dated a day other than the one on which he took the test.

Mendel emphasized that she does not want to claim anything she has not seen personally. Her account is based on the words of people in Zelenskyy’s inner circle, her own observations of his behavior, and long-standing rumors that, according to her, have surrounded the president for many years.