By Vestnik Kavkaza
The President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko and the German Chancellor Angela Merkel agreed their positions ahead of the next stage of gas talks with Russia; they are scheduled for October 29th, according to the Ukrainian media. They also discussed the situation in Donbass, including fulfillment of the Minsk Protocol and the Minsk Memorandum. Merkel stressed absence of significant progress in negotiations between Ukraine and Russia.
Vladislav Belov, the head of the Center of German Studies, a scientist of the RAS Institute of Europe, is sure that Europe is a hostage of the American policy in Ukraine: “The conflict seemed to be prepared beforehand. The U.S. used policy of soft power. There are official data that the U.S. invested $5 billion into the overthrow in Ukraine. Europe exposed itself through the Eastern Partnership Program. By the way, Germany distanced itself from the conceptual figuration of the policy, granting priority to Poland and Sweden. Frau Merkel admitted mistakes of the policy in Vilnius a year ago, in November 2013. The Chancellor found the either-or policy wrong, she admitted it was a mistake to exclude the interests of Russia from discussion of Ukraine’s fate. However, all in all neither the U.S. nor Europe cares about Ukraine.”
Belos says that Germany treats interference in settlement of conflicts in foreign countries carefully and responsibly: “Unfortunately, there is a confrontation between Russia and the West, which we haven’t seen for 20 years. Germany took responsibility for the policy in the EU. The U.S. played a card of not only Euro-Atlantic partnership between Berlin and Washington, but also historic responsibility of Germany within the framework of the postwar structure. Many Russians and the Russian President couldn’t understand the shock of the German citizens, when they found out about Crimea’s choice to join Russia. Still the Russians cannot understand why the Germans are shocked, but the point is in historic memory. At the same time, at the 50th Munich Conference Germany stated about a new paradigm of foreign policy, about a culture of responsibility. Most of Germany’s representatives treat with care interference in settlement of military conflicts due to the threat of a revival of the “Reich”, which provides its policy which doesn’t depend on other countries. Germany is trying to find its place, analyzing foreign policy. Russia is also an object of heavy criticism. The U.S. counts on the heavy criticism.”
Speaking about the situation in Ukraine, the expert stresses the need for a revival of political unity in the country: “I would like to wish the Ukrainian partners good elections. They think it will be a response to the policy of lustration which is being provided by official Kiev today. I wish them law and order in the country, security of not only MPs, but also common citizens, and unity in the political community. When officially Ukrainian experts state that there is a “party of war”, i.e. Yatsenyuk, and it counts all the votes which could be given to Porosheko in the future parliament, it causes questions not only about gas prices and paying for gas, but about Ukraine’s fate in general. There are no economic reforms. There are no changes in the situation with corruption. There are no specific steps on association with the EU. There is a political and economic agreement. The economic agreement is delayed by 2016 not accidentally. Obviously, Ukraine will try to join the EU, but there are no chances that it would follow the Copenhagen Criteria.”
According to Belov, the path toward an internal political settlement in Ukraine lies through international cooperation, as Russia and the Western countries, especially Germany, are responsible for the future of Ukraine: “On February 21st the Foreign Ministers of France, Poland and Germany signed an agreement in which they actually took responsibility for Ukraine’s future. And if you say that Russia is responsible for developments in Ukraine from the East, the EU and Washington are responsible from the West.”
