Volker: if not for the Russian troops there would be no need for a military operation in Donbas
US Special Representative for Ukraine Kurt Volker said in an interview with Voice of America that he is convinced there is no internal conflict in the Donbas.
"There is no internal conflict; there are no grounds for civil war; there are no reasons for military operations except for the presence of Russian troops," he said.
Answering a question on whether there is a real chance to end the war given current circumstances, Volker said: " I think, yes, there is, if President Putin wants. I think it rests with Russia to decide. "
"If we agree on a resolution, especially regarding the mandate of the UN peacekeeping mission, which will provide security zones, we will really get an opportunity to put an end to the conflict. There is such a possibility, but it requires Russia's desire to act in this way," the US Special Representative said.
Speaking on the effectiveness of sanctions against Russia over its aggression in Eastern Ukraine, Volker stated that Russia has not left Ukraine even with four years of sanctions, but it has also not advanced further and "does not receive any new dividends from the current situation."
"This is why we need to determine conditions that all parties will meet [and] will take into account the interests of Russia, Ukraine and the West. Let's settle this issue, which does benefit anyone and does not move anywhere. We just need to finish it all," he said.