... time has come to reactivate the Normandy Format process at its top political level. The pause in the Minsk process has been too long, and there is a growing danger that we will lose the only legitimate mechanism of managing the crisis in and around Ukraine.
Andrey Kortunov:
Europe’s Greens as Future Strategic Partners of Russia
Second, assuming that there is visible progress in implementing the Minsk agreements, there might be an opportunity to modify the EU’s mechanism for Russian sanctions. This is not to say that Brussels should consider a complete lifting of sanctions. Nevertheless, sanctions usually only work if the side imposing sanctions ...
... Ukraine, which excludes the Crimea issue from the future negotiation process. Based on my research and observations, I believe Russian interests in Ukraine can be summarised in three key points:
First
, Russia is interested in the implementation of the Minsk agreements and reintegration of Donbass in Ukraine. In this case, Russia is concerned about the rights of the Russian-speaking population and their safety, and this issue will rank high on Russia’s agenda.
Second
, Russia aims at rebuilding its economic ties with Ukraine, since Moscow is still ...
... full or half empty. Socioeconomic reforms in the country are barely moving forward. Ukraine, however, did not become a “failed state,” did not declare a default on its foreign debt, and did not abandon its course for a liberal market economy. The Minsk agreements are, for the most part, not being implemented. People in Donbass continue to die, but there is no major military escalation in the east of Ukraine: the Donbass militia did not attempt to take Mariupol, and the Armed Forces of Ukraine did not start a large-scale offensive against Donetsk. Moscow and Kiev trade harsh political statements and economic sanctions. At the same time, as of last ...
... exports. France is therefore more preoccupied by the political and social aspects of the crisis.
The French, following International law, perceive the Russian move as an aggression towards the Ukrainian territorial integrity. If France did not sign the Minsk Agreements, it strongly supports them and is fully committed towards an efficient ceasefire. We all hope that the ceasefire in place since Easter will hold, and be a step further towards the resolution of the conflict.
With the crisis in Ukraine, the perception of Russia by France has clearly changed. From an open optimism at the end of the Cold War with the will to create a Euro-Atlantic space including Russia as a European power, to a relationship that constantly needs to be maintained ...
