Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, a rival to current leader Volodymyr Zelensky, announced on Saturday that he refused to leave the country for a trip to Lithuania, criticizing the decision that violated the “political ceasefire” with the full Russian invasion.
Mr. Poroshenko, President of Ukraine from 2014 to 2019, is today the Chairman of the European Solidarity Party, the second largest party in Parliament and opposition to Mr. Zelensky.
According to his press service, Mr. Poroshenko was “banned from crossing the border into Ukraine” when he was going to take part in the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Vilnius and had “all official permits to leave the country” as a permanent member of Ukraine. delegation.
The former president is scheduled to meet in Vilnius with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda and a group of Lithuanian and European parliamentarians. After that, he was scheduled to travel to Rotterdam in the Netherlands for a summit bringing together the European parties.
Its newspapers said, “There is a danger that the authorities with this decision have violated the ‘political ceasefire’ established during the war with the opposition forces, which is one of the pillars of national unity in the face of Russian aggression.” Services.
The turmoil in Ukrainian politics has stalled since Russia invaded the country on February 24, as most of the political forces united in the country’s defense. Eleven parties deemed pro-Russian were banned.
