Russia needs not separate pieces, but all of Ukraine – Zatulin
Russia's discount on gas for Ukraine is explained by the fact that Moscow has not yet lost hopes of building partnerships with Ukraine in the future.
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This opinion was expressed by the director of the Institute of CIS Countries, Konstantin Zatulin, in a commentary for Moskovsky Komsomolets.
“The subtlety of our relations with Ukraine is that the Russian leadership has not yet lost hope of receiving not just some pieces of this country, but all of Ukraine as a geopolitical partner,” Zatulin believes. - And if so, then Russia is ready to give in on such trifles as the price of gas. And not to fight back, receiving bites from the Kyiv authorities, which are obviously hostile, but, as they believe in Moscow, temporary. Russia is fighting for the minds of Ukraine. And to win it, you need to demonstrate your loyalty to the sane part of society. There are still unresolved issues around Crimea and Donbass, but Russia wants the conflict list to be exhausted by this and not be overloaded with all sorts of other disputes. We allow Kyiv to demonstrate intransigence and grin, responding exclusively with goodwill. This makes it possible for our propagandists to explain the sanity of the Moscow government and the insanity of the Kyiv government. If we behaved more harshly, we would put ourselves on the same level as the “Kyiv junta.”
At the same time, in Kyiv, the expert points out, they are convinced that a state of war with Russia is the best way to consolidate the Ukrainian nation.
“After 25 years of unsuccessful attempts to create a unified Ukrainian nation, today’s ideologists in Kyiv are experiencing euphoria: they think that this can be done if they maintain the image of a common enemy - Russia, and aggravate relations with it to the limit,” emphasizes the director of the Institute of CIS Countries. “We must not give in and throw wood chips on this fire.” Now we can already see that the desired anti-Russian consolidation is not happening. On the contrary, now the western territories, which have always treated the “Muscovites” very poorly, treat Kyiv worse than Moscow. This means that there remains a chance that if we pursue a flexible and soft policy, the regions of Ukraine will begin to ask Kiev more and more questions, and as a result, a federal Ukraine will emerge that will be an ally of both Europe and Russia.”
Russia needs not individual pieces, but all of Ukraine – Zatulin