Yatseniuk names best recipe to resolve dramatic conflict in eastern Ukraine

Thursday, September 25, 2014 - 14:00 (EEST) Section: Latest news

The withdrawal of Russian troops may most likely help resolve the armed conflict in Ukraine.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk said this in his speech at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York on Wednesday, September 24, according to the government portal.
“My message to the Russian Federation – get out of Ukrainian land, please. And this is the best recipe and the best solution to resolve this dramatic crisis in Europe and to save my country and to stop Russian aggression,” Yatseniuk said.
He said that not only Ukraine, but also Europe and the whole world faced a global security challenge.
Yatseniuk said that there were several options on the table to resolve the situation: “The first one is a military option – to stop, to contain and to deter Russia. We can easily do it with Russian-led guerrillas and Russian-led terrorists. But it’s too difficult for us to fight well-trained and well-equipped Russian military. And I can clearly state the Russian military boots are on Ukrainian soil.”
Another option, according to Yatseniuk, is to start some kind of peace process, which is not the best one. “The best way to get this peace is to have the U.S., the EU, Ukraine and Russia sitting at the table. Otherwise, if we have direct just talks with the Russian Federation, they will try to do everything to outplay us.”
“The ultimate goal of the Russian president is to have another frozen conflict in Europe, trying to control the east of Ukraine and to move further. What is the ultimate goal of the Russian regime? It’s clear personally for me: to restore the Soviet Union, in one form or another. That’s what they believe in. And this is the aim and the goal of the Russian president,” he said.
Yatseniuk noted that the time would come when Ukraine will regain control of the east of the country and Crimea. “I do believe that the time will come when we will turn this dark page of our joint history. And I do believe that the time will come when Russians will say sorry to Ukraine,” he said.