Ukraine between Moscow and Berlin

By Vestnik Kavkaz

In Kiev, an anti-terrorist operation was declared. Soldiers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces could be involved into the operation. At the moment, the army isn’t interfering in internal political processes. However, the processes compelled attention of the whole world to Ukraine. The number of killed and hurt civilians and officers of law-enforcement agencies is growing. In western regions of Ukraine rebels occupied the police, prosecution, and military buildings. Radicals torture policemen and soldiers, tens of them are hurt. The Russian Foreign Ministry believes that this is an attempt at a forcible overthrow of the authorities.

“The fact that the opposition leaders don’t respond to radicals’ activities raises eyebrows. They hide behind demagogic mottos on devotedness to democracy and European values, but in fact they contribute to a ‘brown’ revolution. We don’t see a clear reaction by European politicians and structures which don’t want to admit that the opposition is responsible for radicals’ activities in Ukraine,” the Foreign Ministry states.

Disputes between Russia and the EU in settlement of the situation in Ukraine become sharper. Neither visit by German Foreign Minister Steinmeier to Moscow nor his yesterday talk with Sergei Lavrov on the phone approached the positions. Steinmeier urged to find “a way of calming down the situation and a compromise by mutual efforts of Russia and the EU.” Lavrov responded that European partners should use close daily contacts with the opposition to encourage it to cooperation with the Ukrainian authorities and separation from radical forces which started bloodshed.

At the same time, both Berlin and Moscow still can see common grounds. Gernot Erler, the coordinator of German-Russian cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Germany, points out that the coalition agreement, which is basic for activity of the new German government, states that large-scale cooperation with Russia is still on the agenda. “Security in Europe is possible only together with Russia, not against Russia. Recently we have seen the importance of the constructive role of Russia, especially in conflicts. This was the case in the Syrian issue, in other issues, ultimately, in the Middle Eastern conflict. And of course, we need insight into current topics such as Ukraine today,” Erler thinks.

According to him, “Vladimir Putin has proposed the idea of creating a common European market from Lisbon to Vladivostok. We will be observing its development. And if we fail to mobilize one another, or to achieve what is called in technology compatibility, then it will be difficult to talk about achieving bigger goals, about creating this huge market with Russia. We must act together in our political steps. And it seems to me that both Moldova and Georgia have already signed association agreements. We cannot simply forget about this issue. Therefore, the two sides must bear their joint responsibility.”

“Relations between Russia and the EU are experiencing the same pressures as the relationship between Russia and Germany,” Alexei Pushkov, the chairman of the State Duma Committee on Foreign Affairs, says. “I would not oppose Germany to the EU… The approach that security must be shared with Russia and not be directed against Russia is very correct. The problem is that security is interpreted differently. What is the basis for security together with Russia? Is NATO the basis as the main and only organization that provides European security? Or is the basis founded on some other principles? With all due respect, we cannot agree on the position of our Western partners pretending that NATO covers the agenda of European security. Ukraine is not a member of NATO. Azerbaijan is not a member of NATO. Armenia is not a member of NATO. Belarus is not a member of NATO. There are 47 countries in Europe, only 27 of them are members of NATO. Let us agree that if 20 states are not part of the security organization, it cannot pretend to be all-European.”

Speaking about the problem of cooperation between the EU and the Customs Union, Pushkov stated: “Armenia is ready to join the CU, then we are already talking about four countries. It is a decent market. Neither Kazakhstan nor Belarus nor Russia want to abandon the Customs Union, which means it is a stable structure that will develop. Naturally, a certain competition between these two structures over countries that might become closer to one or another integration education.”

Pushkov thinks it is natural that the EU considers association with Ukraine as one of the possibilities for its development in the future: “The EU needs the Ukrainian market, 45 million people. The EU has to demonstrate that it has overcome the crisis, that it is coming out of the crisis and that it can be an important geopolitical player, it is important for the European Union to show that other countries want to be part of it.” However, Pushkov is indignant with the fact that Russia is denied the right to have the same interests in relation to neighbors as the EU has: “If the European Union wants to extend its area of integration, it is not clear why Russia is not entitled to do the same, why its ambitions are immediately deemed imperial and all that nonsense. If you want to find imperial ambitions, look for them overseas.”

“The EU is not able to solve the Ukrainian problem on its own,” Pushkov thinks. “45 million people on the verge of economic collapse is a challenge for the EU and Russia. Even if Ukraine signs the association agreement, do you think the EU needs a country which is going to immediately delegate people who have to be paid unemployment benefits and live on welfare. There are already proposals in the British Parliament to close entry to the UK to citizens of Bulgaria and Romania, who have just received the right to move freely in the EU, because no one knows where and on what money 350,000 Bulgarians and Romanians will come to England. The English have also calculated that about 370 thousand Ukrainians might come to them in the case of a free visa regime with Ukraine. Who will support all these people? The British population? Do Britain and the EU need this? There is a very serious problem.”