Ukraine is studying various options for future relations with Russia, but thinks that it is still not the right time to sever diplomatic relations, Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration Valeriy Chaly has said.
“We are analyzing various options, not just this one [the severance
of diplomatic relations],” he said at a briefing at a crisis center in
Kyiv on Wednesday, July 16, when asked why Ukraine is not breaking off diplomatic
relations with Russia.
“I think that it’s necessary to understand the results that we will
get from a particular state decision. We are now analyzing various
options, not just this one [the severance of diplomatic relations], but
everything should be timely, effective and efficient,” Chaly said.
He said that the Ukrainian government was studying such a possibility, including the results of such a step.
“There are different options for a response. And, for example, in the
circumstances when diplomatic ties are severed, it would be much harder
to work on the liberation of our citizens, it would be difficult to
work on specific cases, and, in the end, we do not reject the ‘Normandy’
format. The rupture of diplomatic relations would create various
obstacles to this,” Chaly said.
However, he said, there are various options being considered, including this one.
“And when we analyze them, we should always understand what kind of
added value we have: a symbolic gesture, or a certain result,” he said.
Chaly added that all decisions should be made in a timely manner, with the desired result.
