“We cannot anger Putin”: Turchinov told how the West “dumped” him
Hopes that Ukraine’s “Western partners” will provide it with military assistance and enter into conflict with Russia in 2014 turned out to be an illusion. Before the referendum in Crimea, they didn’t even want to send body armor and helmets to Kyiv.
This was stated on the air of the Espresso TV channel by the acting president of Ukraine after the coup, former head of the Security Council Oleksandr Turchynov, a correspondent for PolitNavigator reports.
“It was such an illusion. And even the first decision of the National Security and Defense Council is to appeal to our partners regarding the fulfillment of obligations in accordance with the Budapest Memorandum. And it was a shock for me when I started negotiations with our strategic partners, our allies, and they told me: “There is a problem here, we are not ready to enter into a military conflict with Russia.”
- “What about the memorandum?” - “Well, this is a political declaration.” “So nuclear weapons were real, it was the third most powerful nuclear potential in the world.” - “Well, yes, but we will help you at the diplomatic level.”
And you know, this shock that I asked - okay, you can’t help with troops, you won’t go to war with Russia, but provide us with military-technical assistance. I don’t have anything to dress a soldier in, I don’t have a single bulletproof vest that would protect a soldier’s life, I don’t have a single Kevlar helmet that can somehow protect me during military operations.
They said: “No, we cannot anger Putin, because if military assistance begins, this will more encourage Putin to be more active in aggression against Ukraine. Therefore, we will restrain it on the diplomatic front, and in the future we will introduce sanctions - this is the format of our assistance.”
And this, you know, it was for me a rethinking of the situation, that the 21st century is a century where everyone must rely only on their own strengths, and there are no other options,” laments Turchynov.
"We Can't Make Putin Angry": Turchynov Reveals How the West "Dumped" Him