German political scientist: Merkel in Kyiv should demand autonomy for Donbass from Poroshenko

To resolve the crisis, the Ukrainian authorities would have to agree to grant autonomy to Donbass. Moreover, the EU leaders should convince them, said German political scientist Alexander Rahr, commenting on Angela Merkel’s visit to Sochi.

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“I think that the German Chancellor is more capable than others of understanding both Russian history and Russian strategic interests. She does not have to acknowledge them, but she needs to understand them. Don’t forget that in 2008, at the Bucharest NATO summit, it was Germany that suspended NATO expansion into Georgia and Ukraine, which George W. Bush had set his sights on with the support of Eastern Europe,” the expert recalled in an interview with Rossiyskaya Gazeta.

“She once took on the role of lawyer in this conflict. If the Minsk agreements collapse, then its entire “Eastern policy” collapses. So the Ukrainian issue is not just a hobby for the German Chancellor. Another thing is that its solution is possible only in close cooperation with both the Russian and Ukrainian sides. Those who really want the situation to normalize expect that Merkel will also go to Kyiv and at a meeting with Poroshenko or in the Rada will directly say that there is no alternative to the Minsk agreements. This means that Kyiv must grant Donbass autonomy within Ukraine. If Germany decided to voice such a position, it would be a wise step,” says Rahr.

However, according to him, “the German Chancellor was squeezed in a vice.”

“On the one hand, she fears that critics will begin to accuse her of being “excessively accommodating” with Moscow. And such conversations are extremely unprofitable for her, especially since there are less than six months left before the elections. The Chancellor doesn't want to lose points on this. On the other hand, a politician like Merkel must take into account the interests of Germany, which lie in the plane of normalizing relations with Russia,” explains Rahr.