US Ruins Chances for Peace in Donbass, Urges Ukraine to Start War With Russia, Merkel Made a Fool

- So, the masks seem to have slipped off, there are no questions left. Everything is quite obvious. US Special Representative Kurt Volker visited the conflict zone in Donbass, and declared that the US will continue to put pressure upon Russia until the territorial integrity of Ukraine is restored, the American press even called for bombing the Crimean Bridge. The government in Kiev, inspired by the American support, promised a retaliatory strike against Donbass, within not even days, but minutes. What will Kiev do within minutes, if even now during the Easter truce the Ukrainian Armed Forces have violated the cease-fire agreement more than a thousand times? Today the Minsk Group was de facto torpedoed, it even came to the point that the Kiev representative, using strong language and threats, verbally attacked the representatives of the Republics so hard, that the foreign observers had to leave the room. So Volker just showed outright, the fact that America is not an outside observer, not an arbitrator, but a side in the conflict, who takes control. And on that premise, I don't see why or how Russia should communicate with Volker, because Volker obviously disavows the Minsk Protocol, disavows the decision of the Security Council, and Kiev chooses the obvious path of war, with all the expected results. If I'm wrong, correct me.

 

Dmitry Kulikov, member of the Zinoviev Club of the "Rossiya Segodnya" international news agency: You described the scheme quite accurately, because, well, Volker tries to save Poroshenko from the Minsk Protocols, this is tactical task number one, but it's pretty obvious. So Volker needs to de facto conduct a complete destruction of those protocols, and then create a corridor, which they would use to press for a complete surrender and cleansing of Donbass. Because it's the only scenario which suits the US, and which includes Poroshenko. By the way, then the question about such a primitive thing as his election campaign is clear. I mean, of Poroshenko. Because, well, then there will be something to bring forward, there's absolutely nothing right now. So the US completely explicitly acts on the side of Ukraine.

– By the way, unlike Europe. Europe tried to stay at least somewhat decent, America didn't.

– Its attempt to save face was very touching, by the way, it's by no means surprising that Volker switched to the open stage of such an activity. And Europe, well, it was once again openly showed its place by her allies, the Americans. Because, excuse me, the signed Minsk Protocols, which Volker doesn't care about, they are signed by the Chancellor of Germany and the president of France, as a matter of fact.

– And by the UN Security Council.

– And by the UN Security Council, yes. Well, nobody pays attention to the Council anymore, But you brought up Europe. All of it is in the same column, along with the Iranian agreements, the trade war, and now the Minsk Protocols are added. Why did Merkel and Macron meet with Poroshenko?

– It's unclear.

– If Volker arrives, the senior aide of this paper pusher in the State Department, it was Joe Biden before, the Vice President, who went there, but now…

– But he is without a salary. A man really without such a post.

– He's a counselor on a voluntary basis.

– Receiving his salary in a fund, not via the State Department.

– And he reports, what should be. By the way, nobody asked Merkel or Macron. This doesn't surprise us. And what Europe thinks of itself, well, I think it's bad there with the self-reflection. I don't know what Merkel will tell Putin in Sochi on Friday on the topic of Ukraine. Because, well, she is in a deadlock. In fact, she is a nobody when it comes to the Ukrainian situation, this was done by the Americans.

Olga Kovitidi, member of the Federation Council's committee on defense and security: Well, Merkel already announced today, that she sees no other option besides the Minsk Protocols. Apparently, this was a light curtsey, in reference to the upcoming visit and talk with the Russian President.

– Did Volker approve her speech?

– Well, we understand...

– We understand that Volker is in charge there now, not Merkel.

– We understand, that he absolutely doesn't take up what she says, and the EU statement about the Crimean Bridge is word for word the same as the forceful statement by the USA. So we understand, that basically, they are playing the same game. But to save…

– Who plays the same game?

– The US and Europe.

Dmitry Kulikov: Europe is playing a trumpet. The US may be playing a game, but Europe is playing a trumpet.

– You and I perfectly understand, who is the band director, but if we speak about that the meeting of Merkel and Putin lies that ahead, she must try to save face. I'm not talking about the warm hugs of Macron and Trump, I'm just saying that one way or another, what is happening today in Ukraine is just a part of a big geopolitical game which involves Russia.

– Maybe that's how it is, but I'm just saying that it's not our problem. For there is nothing new happening. This is Merkel's problem now, before her visit to Sochi. Because our position is clear: there is no alternative, but fulfilling the Minsk Protocols.

– And on that premise, it's not clear now why we should meet and what to discuss on both the Normandy format and with Volker. There is no subject to negotiate about.

Dmitry Kulikov: There is no subject to negotiate about. But let's do a step back, half a step back. So Poroshenko and Turchynov started the war. They sent the army, the air force, missiles, at the rebel Donbass. They started a war, it all came to mass bloodshed in August 2014. Putin stopped this war by writing seven articles of the first Minsk Protocol. And made Poroshenko sign it. Then there was Minsk II. And the war stopped. It was a genuine humanitarian action. Because prolongation of this conflict would be a civil war all over Ukraine, destroyed cities, tens, hundreds of thousands of dead. And if those "civilized" westerners conceive benevolence and humanism as weakness, then again – it's their problem. Only now the 4-year plan will have to be changed for another plan of action pertaining to this conflict. That's all.

Nikolai Starikov, chairman of the Great Fatherland Party: The actions of the US regarding the situation in Donbass and in Ukraine can't be understood without understanding of their general plan of action. Look, what they've done lately. They successively destroy every possibility of agreements in complex international problems, even if they were the initiators. First, they quit the deal on the nuclear program of Iran, the situation is in limbo, it's unclear what to do. This leads to an almost impossibility of agreement between the US and North Korea, moreover, they now conduct military exercises and the whole meeting is questionable. They do the same thing in Ukraine.

– Plus, they made a sweet thing: they decided to punish China, and supplied Taiwan with weapons. So they are screwing over China.

– It means that even China can no longer make agreements with the US. Now we can't make agreements with the US. Because, just like you fairly said, it's not clear what to agree upon. So the Americans, step-by-step, have practically paralyzed almost all of international diplomacy. The question is why they do that? In order to show that they don't make agreements with us. We don't want that, we don't want peace, we want war, we want chaos, we everything to be in limbo. That's actually their strategy. This raises the question: what should Russia do? First of all, realize that now it's impossible to come to agreement with the US on international questions. That's clear. Secondly, try to come to agreement. Because, in the case that we cut off negotiations, walk out of talks, they'll try to lay the responsibility for cutting off the talks at our feet. So it's important to keep trying. To somehow save the Normandy format, Minsk talks. Even realizing that the Americans won't settle for it. I think that this is very…

– But why? Is this some kind of masochism?

– Because the alternative to it is starting a war, the responsibility for which they'll try to blame both on Russia and Donbass.

Dmitry Kulikov: Nikolay, let's be tough if we are analyzing the reality of the situation. No gathering of the Normandy format would prevent a war.

– It's obvious.

– One may indulge in illusions about that. Because I would've... I would've, yes... I think there must be another way to act. Basically, it should be objectified, that the Normandy format is disavowed and closed by the actions of the American representative and Kiev.

Nikolai Starikov: But this should be done by the Americans.

– They will never do that.

Olga Kovitidi: No-no-no.

– But if they say, that they are of course worried, they view the situation with the arrest of a journalist, but they understand Ukraine: they are tired of propaganda. So, if one of Russia's law enforcement officers, as Maria Zakharova suggested, would break into CNN's office, then Maria Zakharova would make the same comment? Is that the American propagandists?