MOSCOW, December 30. Russia during the Ukrainian crisis have been profoundly disappointed in the Western partners and realized that you need to rely on yourself. This was stated by foreign Minister of Russia Sergey Lavrov in interview to TV channel “Star”.
To the question about what year – 2014 or 2015 – was harder Lavrov asked to recall the anecdote about Zebra stripes, discussed at the last big press conference Russian President Vladimir Putin. “Honestly, I don’t know, it’s hard for me to compare. 2014 year was a year of disappointment in our partners, – said the Minister. – We have become more confident, because I realized that you need to rely on yourself.”
In this regard, the Minister recalled the words of the Russian Emperor Alexander III that Russia has only two true allies – overland army and Navy. This year the Russian armed forces, according to Lavrov, “added another view of Air and space forces”, created on the basis of the air force and the Troops EKR.
“In 2014, was the deepest disappointment, how was the West due to disruption of the Kiev agreement on settlement of the crisis between former President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovich and all the opposition block (21 February 2014), witnessed by France, Germany, Poland, he continued. – Put in power in Kiev associates, terminate this agreement, threw up his hands in response to our calls, “how come you’re guaranteed that there will be a peaceful transition, early elections, etc.”, saying that they are now the new authorities can use force against those who refuse to accept the results of anti-constitutional armed coup.”
“When people went to the Crimea, we continue to be admonished that they, the West, want the new government used force in proportion to, – noticed Lavrov. – We know what it is. Then the President of Russia Vladimir Putin has made a decision that I consider historical. It was dictated final understanding that when in politics you interact inability of partners, we must rely on ourselves.”
It is important to prevent revision of the Minsk agreements
The Minsk agreements are a major achievement of the outgoing year and it is important to prevent attempts at its revision, said Sergei Lavrov.
“Serious achievements, I would consider the Minsk agreement on Ukraine, which have been the result of many hours of marathon with the participation of heads of state”, – said the Minister.
See also
The complex of measures on implementation of the Minsk agreements. Full text
He noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande with President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko “personally wrote different paragraphs”. “So it is important now to prevent attempts of their audit, – said Lavrov. We observed such attempts”.
“We start to say that the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko appeared the complexity of domestic policy, so he can’t do it all, and I propose not to accept “Minsk language” too literally, – the Minister said. – How not to take it literally, if it says in the Constitution on a regular basis needs to be decentralized”.
“It means the right to use the Russian language on the territory of Donbass, in particular economic ties with Russia, the right to participate in the appointment of prosecutors and judges, to have their own bodies of law, including militia, and a number of things personally wrote to the German Chancellor Angela Merkel together with French President Francois Hollande, said the Minister. Instead, the Constitution stipulated that these territories may be some special rules in self-government”.
The law on the special status of Donbass was not conditional on the holding of elections
Lavrov stressed that the law on the special status of Donbass and the holding of elections – are two different topics according to the Minsk agreements.
SPECIAL project
Ukraine: chronicle of Eurasian split
What led to the conflict, how it developed and what was the impact on the balance of power in international relations – special project
“The other day I read in the news that my Ukrainian colleague Pavlo Klimkin somewhere said that the law on special status of Donbas will take effect only after the elections, which Kyiv wants to spend any way he wants, although in the Minsk agreements says that it needs to agree on the modalities of holding elections for the Donbass, which they do not,” said he.
The head of the Russian foreign Ministry stressed that “the introduction of the law on the special status in the Minsk agreements not in any way attributable to the conduct of elections are two different subjects.” “The logic of the law on the special status is not to wait for elections and then legitimate power, as said Pavlo Klimkin, will return the Donbass in the legal field of Ukraine, and that the law was in this area that again has not been “rolled up the roller” in the rules that exist for other regions”, – said the Minister.
“Kiev has pledged to give them special status, – said Lavrov. – Therefore, this law is better and more logical to accept before the election because if you elect the deputies to local councils, you want to know what rights these MPs will have. The law sets out these rights. If it is not accepted, voting will be wondering what rights will be at the Deputy, to whom I want to entrust to manage a specific area?”
Kiev formally negotiating with the Donbass
According to the Minister, Kiev formally negotiating with the Donbass, there is no direct dialogue, with the exception of work in the contact group.
“Formally, the dialogue (with the Donbass – approx.) goes, but formally, – said Lavrov. – Ukraine in the contact group represents a non-performing politician and bureaucrat Leonid Kuchma – respected man, the former President of Ukraine, personal representative of the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko”.
“And from the side of Donetsk and Luhansk – the people elected by the population of these territories, the OSCE official representative Martin Sajdik, from Russia – also the official representative of the President,” he added.
“The Ukrainian authorities consider this to be the best they can go, – noted the Minister. – Direct dialogue, except this format of the contact group and its working subgroups, is not conducted. As for methods, it is possible to show flexibility and understanding”.
“If under this format the content of the Minsk agreements could be implemented, then it can be considered a direct dialogue. But, everything is Vice versa”, – said the head of the Russian foreign Ministry.
In Ukraine, even among allies observed squabbles and contradictions
The head of the Russian foreign Ministry stated that Ukraine has a very difficult internal political situation: even among allies within the same party observed the discord and contradictions.
See also
After a fight in the Verkhovna Rada Prime Minister Yatsenyuk said that the Parliament “many morons”
“Ukraine has a very serious internal political situation: squabbles, discord among allies, miganovce, within the same party, too, there is a contradiction, – said the head of the Russian depodesta. – We all see how the political process in Parliament, at a meeting of the government or any other national structures. They have complexity.”
“After you have signed the Minsk agreement, the Ukrainian President (Petro) Poroshenko after the elections, declared himself a “President of peace” and not war, the Minsk agreements were approved by France, Germany, the whole European Union, the UN security Council, including the United States, said Lavrov. – I am convinced that after all this took place, the President of Ukraine had every opportunity to push through radical extremists who tried to accuse him of treason, the decisions embodied in the life of this important document, including using the influence of Europe and the United States.”
As noted by Lavrov, he did not know why Poroshenko did not.
Attempts by Poroshenko to carry out anti-Russian rhetoric nor to no avail
The attempts of the President of Ukraine “to contend with extremists in their own “site” and “outdo” them in anti-Russian rhetoric” in what have not resulted, said Sergey Lavrov.
See also
Ukraine has become a hostage to the adopted anti-Russian sanctions, experts say
“For some reason he decided to oppose the extremists with their own methods and began to argue with them on their own “platform”, trying to “outdo” them in anti-Russian rhetoric, constantly accusing us of aggression, occupation, stating that the Minsk agreement is the first step to its termination, – the Minister said. – Even the terms that were selected, saying that he wants to “bully” and thereby gain some political points.”
“I don’t know how it happened – the ratings suggest otherwise, – said Lavrov. – People are tired of the war in the Donbass. Thank God that now there is somehow some kind of a truce, but it is violated, our estimates using the data of the OSCE, all battalions until the end nobody has incorporated and which are largely used by their owners to the situation in some point a bit to warm up, and at some of obsolete”.
