There will be no long-term peace established in Ukraine until there is a change of political leadership in Kiev, which it’s not going to happen in the nearest future, Halyna Mokrushina, independent journalist and researcher, told RT’s In the Now.
RT:Speaking at the 8th Kiev Security Forum on Thursday Ukraine' President Petro Poroshenko stated Crimea was not enough for Russian aggressors. What do you make of his statement and how close is it to reality?
Halyna Mokrushina: If you talk about Poroshenko, I don’t think he is an independent politician and I don’t think he’s capable of voicing what he really thinks. Because what he has said since he was elected president is aligned with Western Cold War-style of thinking about Russia. And Russia wanting Ukraine, it goes against common sense because if Russia really wanted to invade Ukraine it would be already done. As I wrote in one of my articles, Russian troops would be in Kiev in two days. And even NATO officials stated it on several occasions. So this statement by Poroshenko is very far from reality to say the least, not to call it a lie, because what Poroshenko has been saying officially since he was elected president unfortunately does not correspond to reality.
RT:Who can benefit from statements like that?
HM: Obviously those who want to see Russia weakened and the way they do it – they try to set Ukraine against Russia and drive a cleft between these two countries. It’s in their political interests.
RT:His anti-Russian and militarist rhetoric's become more aggressive since the Minsk agreements came into force, so that Secretary Kerry had to pour cold water on Poroshenko. Why such militarized talk when the world is attempting to uphold this ceasefire?
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HM: Because the war for Poroshenko is the only way to explain to Ukrainians why he failed all the promises he made since he was elected. If you look at the real indicators of what he achieved – he really scored very poorly. The Ukrainian economy is on the brink of default, the national currency now costs almost three times more than when the so-called dictator Yanukovich was in power. There is no peace in Donbass and Poroshenko is desperately trying to blame all the failures that he has shown so far on the war. That’s a very simple explanation.
RT:Tell us more about what you saw on the ground in terms of prospects for real peace in Ukraine?
HM: It’s very hard, because of all the blood that was shed after all the destruction the Ukrainian army inflicted on Donbass. I have very deep doubts that peace is possible but this is my personal opinion. From my discussions with people on the ground, they wouldn’t hold grudge against Ukraine as a country, against Ukrainians as people, as a nation. But they hate the regime in Kiev. They say that this is a war for big economic interests and it’s not really the Ukrainian people who are fighting the war, it’s the Kiev regime. The possibilities are there, but for peace to be established we need to see a change of political leadership in Kiev and I don’t think it’s going to happen in the nearest future. So my opinion is we won’t see any long-term peace in Ukraine, unfortunately.
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The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.
The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.