Thousands of people had lost their homes, freedom and lives. But the greedy enemy didn’t stop and wanted more and more lands and blood, starting a real war in your country.
When in 2014 Russia annexed Crimea and started a war in Donbas, Ukraine couldn’t do anything without help from abroad. Ukrainians were prostrate with fear and anger over the injustice.
European Union and U.S. offered the best options they could – economic and political sanctions against Russian officials, businessmen and soon after against companies and goods. That was the West’s democratic answer on Russia’s violation of international law.
However, two years after the sanctions start, the winds in Europe are shifting.
European business and political interests started to obscure the international diplomatic responsibilities.
During the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum on June 16, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon named Russia a crucial player in solving global issues and conflicts in Ukraine and Syria according to UNIAN news agency.
He also said that Russia, the country which kidnapped and jailed Ukrainians, and used prohibited kinds of weapon in Donbas and Syria, plays a very important role in protection of human rights and control over the mass destruction weapons spread.
No wonder the secretary general’s words sounded like a mockery from another reality to Ukrainians and caused a political scandal.
Ukrainian delegation filed a claim of protest, asking Ban Ki-moon to take his words back. However, soon his words about Russia were changed in the transcription of speech from the forum.
The Russian Federation, as a founding member of the United Nations and as a permanent member of the Security Council, has a very important role to play and I really count heavily on the leadership of the Russian Federation, said the edited version of transcript.
“Putin’s appeasers in Europe first said sanctions would stay until he returned Crimea. Then until he fulfilled Minsk. Now, if ‘progress,’” political activist and former world chess champion Garry Kasparov said on Twitter on June 20.
Putin’s EU friends
Although on June 22, European Union extended economic sanctions against Russia until Jan. 31. the final decision will be approved during the European Summit in Brussels next week, according to Radio Svoboda.
However, more and more Western leaders hint or openly support sanctions removal or reducation and want to renew relationships with Russia.
German Foreign Minister Frank Walter Steinmeier offered to consider to “gradually remove sanctions” when reaching “significant progress” in implementation of the Minsk peace agreemets on June 11. During the meeting with business representatives in Berlin he said this would stimulate Moscow for further Minsk agreements implementation.
Russia released only three Ukrainian prisoners from more than 30 jailed in recent two years of conflict. Twenty-eight times Russian mercenaries shoot at Ukrainian Army in occupied Donbas in recent two days, according to military press service. So where is implementation?
During the meeting on Saint Petersburg Economic Forum, French ex-President Nicolas Sarkozy asked Putin to take the first step in lifting sanctions process by starting to remove Russian counter-sanctions against European food products.
“I told Putin to make this offer — there’s no risk in being the first to make a gesture of goodwill,” Sarkozy told a panel at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, according to Bloomberg. “That’s the mission of a great power, to be the first to put forward its hand.”
My personal winner in this disturbing new trend is Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, with his speech at the St Petersburg Economic Forum.
“We need Europe and Russia to become wonderful neighbors again,” said Renzi, according to Financial Times.
Renzi also said that sanctions could only be removed after implementation of Minsk peace agreements and the end of the conflict in eastern Ukraine. However he also blamed Kyiv for the failure of Minsk progress.
Only Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Siarto decided to make things clear for me, naming the sanctions extension “undemocratic”.
“During two years of sanctions Hungarian enterprises had lost the chance to export goods to Russia to the value of $4.5 billion. The decision to prolong sanctions was made too fast,” said Siarto to Radio Svoboda on June 22.
So all that cheese, geese, fruits, vegetables and other European high quality goods, crashed by Russian bulldozers in 2015, are forgotten?
As they love to say in Russia “the fridge is more important than the television.” It is clear that sanctions had heavy impact and weakened not only Russia but also the EU.
It is hard to compete with such a powerful and united country, when some countries are trying to escape from your Union.
Maybe it is better to sacrifice the interests of Ukraine, to keep stability and prosperity in your own country, especially before the 2017 elections.
As I know EU was created as a guarantee of a peaceful, united and prosperous Europe.
But are you sure that sacrificing an entire country in order to please the big bear will bring back prosperity and peace?
Russia is a greedy neighbor, who always wants more. Renzi, believe the Ukrainian experience.
