Klimkin does not believe a 'Great Agreement' between US and Russia will happen
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin does not believe in the possibility of a comprehensive "big geopolitical agreement" between Washington and Moscow, although he does not exclude the possibility of cooperation between the US and Russia on several issues.
In an interview with DT.UA, the Foreign Minister noted that a lack of confidence towards the Russian Federation would prevent the conclusion of a global agreement.
"I do not exclude the possibility of elements of cooperation between the two countries in the fight against radical Islam, or in other matters; but at the same time this is clearly not to be. This is because it is impossible to overcome Islamic radicalism only by military means; there must be an agreement by all the key players in the strategy, which they all must respect," he said.
"Opportunities for several ‘deals’, covering specific issues, I do not rule out," said Klimkin.
The Minister said that such area agreements could be medium-term or situational. However, he is more inclined toward the latter.
"A large ‘deal’ is contrary to, in my opinion, the whole logic of American interests," the Minister noted.
Klimkin added that the Ukrainian side is satisfied with the statements and position of the representatives of the new U.S. administration with respect to Russian aggression.
According to him, the recent statements of the American side at the UN Security Council, the rhetoric of the new U.S. Vice-President, and the statements of other important Trump administration representatives have been very clear, and came as a surprise to many. This is especially true regarding U.S. statements on the Crimea and anti-Russian sanctions.
Klimkin noted that he was inspired by a conversation between President Petro Poroshenko and U.S. Vice President Mike Pence.
"It was a very good conversation, in terms of understanding of Russia's motives. Of course, we know well that to sort out all the details of what is happening will take time. But the Vice-President was aware of all key details, and asked very clear questions, which indicated his deep enough understanding of the situation. Of course, in an interview I can not tell you the details, but I can say that his questions showed that he had received information, so to speak, not just 15 minutes before our meeting," he stressed.
The minister is also inclined to believe that it is Pence will play a special role in Washington's foreign policy.
"I certainly can not speak for the U.S. administration, but we are inclined to think that the U.S. Vice President will play a special role in foreign policy; it was not for nothing that he represented the U.S. at the Munich conference. In my opinion this is very important, because in the U.S. system, the vice president is a key figure. But I think that other figures – including the National Security Council (NSC), the U.S. State Department, the Pentagon, and the intelligence community - will work together very effectively, " the Minister said.