Interview with Leonid Gusev

Leonid Gusev, a political analyst from Moscow State University of Foreign Relations shared with Russia Today his opinion about further developments in Ukraine after the political crisis and Kiev's relations with Russia.

Russia Today: Many people will welcome this decision, but are the real problems being dealt with?

Leonid Gusev: The most pressing issue the Ukrainian parliament, the Supreme Rada, should address is the adoption of laws necessary for carrying out the elections. And the deputies should do this in the coming four months. 

RT: Will new elections in September resolve things?

L.G.: To a certain degree, I believe. They will help to ease tension but the general situation in parliament will not change. I think all parties represented in the Rada will get approximately the same number of votes.

RT: How significant is the situation in Ukraine, in relation to the wider world, and how may it affect relations with Russia?

L.G.: The situation in Ukraine is very significant, especially for Russia – first of all, because our gas pipelines go through the territory of Ukraine. So for Russia it is important to have good relations with the new government. Also, there are a lot of Russians and Russian-speaking people living in Ukraine – this is another issue that needs to be dealt with and resolved. Finally, there is the problem of the Russian Crimea-based fleet and we need to understand how it will be settled by the new government.

Earlier, Leonid Gusev joined Russia Today to discuss the current political situation in Ukraine.

Russia Today: Why is the opposition in Ukraine pushing for fresh elections?

Leonid Gusev: To my mind, it is mostly Yulia Timoshenko and her block who insist on new elections because her block will get most votes from Western Ukraine, which during the last elections President Yushchenko`s party