Russian politicians and experts reacted to the statement by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky about the alleged war unleashed in Europe over the Crimea and Donbass.
In particular, State Duma deputy Artem Turov said that the West is responsible for unleashing conflicts.
“It was Europe that supported those events in Ukraine, supporting the coup d’etat and the coming of illegal power, which led to a series of protests in the southeast,” he told Duma TV.
Turov stressed that fierce battles were fought in the Donbass, and clashes also occurred in Odessa. The parliamentarian called on Zeleny to bring to justice the leaders of the countries from which he is seeking support.
At the same time, according to the deputy, the West does not want Ukraine’s position to be strong, since the country is just an instrument for containing Russia. In Moscow, the Ukrainian people are still considered fraternal, the parliamentarian concluded.
In turn, the head of the department of the Institute of CIS Countries, military expert Vladimir Yevseev said on the air of Sputnik radio that it is Kiev that destabilizes the situation in the region. In his opinion, the reunification of Crimea with Russia will not have an impact on security on the continent, provided there are no provocations from NATO.
“The main provocateur of the exacerbation of the situation in Donbass is the Ukrainian side. It was she who increased the military presence, ”Yevseev added.
In addition, the expert believes that Ukraine has become dependent on the United States.
The day before, Zelensky, during a discussion with the heads of Poland, Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia, announced the ongoing war in Europe over Crimea. According to him, the return of the peninsula to Russia is annexation, and the conflict in Donbass is a war in Europe. Also, the Ukrainian leader called on Europe to unite, writes Gazeta.ru.
Relations between the Russian Federation and the West deteriorated after the coup in Ukraine in 2014 and the return of Crimea to the Russian Federation. At the same time, Kiev began a military operation against the residents of Donbass. The Ukrainian authorities, the US and the EU, as well as a number of other countries blamed Russia for the situation and imposed sanctions. Moscow has repeatedly noted that it is not a party to the internal Ukrainian conflict, and called on Kiev to de-escalate.