The decision of the Verkhovna Rada to cancel the non-aligned status of the country is a serious mistake, the speaker of the Federation Council Valentina Matviyenko believes. "This is another hasty, incorrect decision made by the Kiev authorities," she said.
The anti-Russian rhetoric that accompanies this step is raising a lot of questions, according to Matvienko. "And considering that it was made with a roar of anti-Russian statements of a number of deputies, it just causes confusion and regret, because Russia clearly is not threatening the security of Ukraine. And the efforts of Russia to support the economy and social stability in Ukraine for all these years after the collapse of the Soviet Union were invaluable. I doubt that any other country is capable of that kind of help now," the speaker said.
This action will not lead to any practical results, the politician says. "This step is definitely unfriendly, ill-conceived, and will lead to no consequences, at least at the moment, in terms of the possible adoption of Ukraine into NATO, because it is impossible, Ukraine is not ready, it cannot become a member of NATO. And this is not just my opinion, the same view was expressed by the Secretary General of NATO and a number of Western politicians. It is a long, difficult path, and, in my opinion, almost unrealistic," she pointed out.
The Chairman of the Federation Council is confident that the law will not help to resolve the crisis in Ukraine. "Such a law will not help to stabilize the political situation in Ukraine. It does not remove, but on the contrary, increases the tension and division in society, because, in fact, no one asked the people. They should first find out what people think in different regions of Ukraine by holding a referendum, as should be done. This suggests crudity and hasty populist steps. As time passes, we will see that this solution cannot be implemented. And, of course, this will make no sense until the Ukrainian authorities will engage in the economy, will establish a national dialogue in order to stop the existing opposition and to let the peace process gain momentum and find its solution," the politician said.
"This law is not in the interests of Ukraine and its people. Maybe it's in the interests of someone else," Matvienko concluded.
