The Guardian: "The survival of Ukraine depends on the resumption of relations with Russia"

The British publication The Guardian writes that Ukraine needs Russia. In January the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko congratulated his country on the first winter experienced without Russian gas, and proudly pointed out that now the state’s main source of energy has become European gas, which is 30% more expensive than Russian gas. And this is the main problem of the Ukrainian state. Not corruption, about which little can be done in the short term, but ideologically-driven choice to sever all ties with Russia, a country that is a major trading partner and investor in the Ukrainian state.

Over the past year the level of life in Ukraine halved, the currency has lost 350% of its value, and inflation soared to 43%. However, even despite these critical indicators, the government continues destructive economic policies. After the break in relations with Russia in 2014 the defense and aviation industries of Ukraine lost 80% of their income. A termination of banking relations with Moscow has led to the fact that Kiev has lost a significant share of investment and a vital economic lifeline – the remittances sent by Ukrainian migrant workers home. About 7 million Ukrainians work in Russia, the volume of remittances from whom amounted to $9 billion in 2014.

The government borrowing aggravates the economic problems even more. The government of Ukraine was able to write off 20% of its foreign debt, which allows it to negotiate to get the next tranche from the IMF, which was expected in December, but has not been received so far. However, the draconian conditions imposed in this case on the state put the population in credit addiction till 2041. Such an irrational behavior of the Ukrainian government is explained by one desire: to annoy Vladimir Putin. By signing a free trade agreement with the EU, Ukraine has lost its privileged access to the Russian markets. At the same time, the EU certification allows only 72 Ukrainian companies to export goods to the EU.

This policy has already led to the fact that the popularity of the current president of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko is rapidly falling, and discontent among the population is growing. The Ukrainian leadership has to recognize that the survival of Ukraine does not depend on Western influence, but with the resumption of relations with Russia. Economic rationality should prevail over economic nationalism. Until that happens, it's hard to imagine anyone daring to invest in Ukraine.

The US independent publication The National Interest writes about why Syria will not save Russian-American relations. Many of those who aspire to a more functional relationship between Russia and the United States, hoping that the cooperation in stabilising the situation in Syria and the fight against so-called Islamic State will allow the tensions between Moscow and Washington to be eased. Now, however, even optimists admit that restoring the relations between the countries will be quite a challenge.

At the same time, the success of the Syrian negotiations shows that the two countries can work together, despite all the differences that exist between Moscow and Washington. However, the initial success will depend on Washington's desire to end the arms race, including nuclear, and focus on building a clear strategic line towards the Kremlin.

The efforts of the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and the US Secretary of State John Kerry should be supported by the political elites of both countries, but from America such support is absent so far. The dysfunctional relations between the US and Russia are a major obstacle to the achievement of the joint foreign policy goals. In order to reduce the tension between the two countries, the White House need to realize that the Kremlin can be a reliable ally and partner, not only in the fight against international terrorism, but also on other issues. In addition, the US administration should stop spreading the information that Russia poses an existential threat to the world and in particular for the US population. If these steps to meet the Russian state will be made, then it is likely that the tensions in the world will be gradually decreased.