Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry discussed the federalization of Ukraine in Paris last week. Lavrov emphasized that not all problems could be solved without consent. Deposed Ukrainian President Victor Yanukovych urged the country's regions to demand a referendum to decide their status. The referendum may be announced by the parliament, the president, or 3 million citizens.
Ukrainian political analyst Igor Gridasov said that south-eastern parts of Ukraine were interested in federalization to gain partial control over financial flows. In his words, Russia may be interested in it to protect identity of Russian-speaking regions or for some other reasons.
Another analyst Alexey Voronenko expressed confidence that Ukraine will not achieve federalization because such system would weaken the country at the times of crises. The expert believes that federalization could cause partition of the country weakened by the political crisis, financial crisis, poor army and inefficient administration.
Slobodchuk noted that foreign states were suspicious about the idea of federalization. According to the expert, the process may trigger separation of the Odessa, Donetsk and Lugansk oblasts. He believes that the problem lies in excessive centralization of authority and budget in Kiev. Slobodchuk added that having to consider every initiative with the Kiev bureaucracy is time-wasting and costly due to corruption.
Alexey Vlasov, executive director of the North-South Center for Political Analysis, two months ago that federalization was a real alternative to the semi-partition of Ukraine. He emphasized that Yanukovych had failed to launch federalization reforms. Vlasov predicted that presidential candidates Yulia Tymoshenko and Petr Poroshenko would be reluctant to discuss the process.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry discussed federalization of Ukraine in Paris last week. Lavrov emphasized that not all problems could be solved without consent. Scuttled Ukrainian President Victor Yanukovych urged regions to demand a referendum to decide their status. The referendum may be announced by the parliament, the president, or 3 million citizens.Ukrainian political analyst Igor Gridasov said that south-eastern parts of Ukraine were interested in federalization to gain partial control over financial streams. In his words, Russia may be interested in it to protect identity of Russian-speaking regions or for some other reasons.Another analyst Alexey Voronenko expressed confidence that Ukraine will not achieve federalization because such system would weaken the country at the times of crises. The expert believes that federalization could cause partition of the country weakened by the political crisis, financial crisis, poor army and inefficient administration.Slobodchuk noted that foreign states were suspicious about the idea of federalization. According to the expert, the process may trigger separation of the Odessa, Donetsk and Lugansk oblasts. He believes that the problem lies in excessive centralization of authority and budget in Kiev. Slobodchuk added that having to consider every initiative with the Kiev bureaucracy is time-wasting and costly due to corruption.Alexey Vlasov, executive director of the North-South Center for Political Analysis, two months ago that federalization was a real alternative to semi-partition of Ukraine. He emphasized that Yanukovych had failed to launch federalization reforms. Vlasov predicted that Yulia Tymoshenko and Petr Poroshenko were reluctant to discuss the proces
