Piontkovsky: More countries should participate in the Ukrainian peace process
In an interview with espresso.tv, Russian historian and opposition leader Andrei Piontkovsky said that Ukraine should invite not only the heads of Germany and France to take part in the negotiations to find a solution to the war in the Donbass region, but also representatives of other Western countries.
"Merkel and Hollande have already acquired some kind of Stockholm syndrome in relations with Russia and the Donetsk bandits… The Minsk Agreement is their child. They, as a father and a mother who gave birth to a child, and now, no matter how ugly it may be, are invested in its success. For them it’s more important to achieve the result than to take time to think about what this result really means, whether it will it stop Russian aggression or not," he said.
According to the historian, it would be better for a wide range of players to take part in the negotiations.
"For example, Poland could be invited to participate in the process as a major Central European power, which is directly, historically, geographically, and today, by the virtue of having common threats, connected to Ukraine," Piontkovsky said.
He also noted that even if all the sanctions placed against Russia were lifted, the economy cannot be salvaged.
“For some short period of time Putin will be able to sell it to the public as a kind of political success. Because now the situation looks like he has failed completely. He was aiming at building the ‘Russian world’, ‘New Russia’. But instead of the ‘New Russia’… the idea of the ‘Russian world’ had to be completely abandoned. He is forced to cover up his failure by creating some kind of a visible success. But it's all just tactical moves. The reasons behind the collapse of the economy and the doom of the political system are much more serious. The realization of his scenario in Minsk will contribute nothing to the improvement of the domestic political situation. The situation is too far gone for this stuff to matter. But he, for sure, will try to make life difficult for Ukraine," the oppositionist said.
The scientist went on to state that there is no political reason for Ukraine to yield to the pressure of Russia, and that time is on Ukraine’s side.
Piontkovsky is a political writer and analyst and is a staunch critic of Vladimir Putin. He is a former member of the Russian Opposition Coordination Council and is a regular contributor to the BBC and Radio Liberty. He is the author of numerous books, including his most recent Another Look into Putin’s Soul.