Andrei Kozirev: Negotiations in Istanbul are a pure waste of time
The war in Ukraine is a greater disaster for Moscow than for Kiev, says Andrei Kozirev, the first foreign minister of Russia after the collapse of the USSR to live in the United States today. He reproaches the West in a lack of will.
What is your forecast for negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, which begin today, May 15?
– I would be very happy if I was wrong, but in my opinion they are a pure waste of time. There is no reason to believe that these negotiations, whoever participates in them, will be crowned with some success.
It is estimated that as a result of diplomatic efforts in recent weeks, Putin is in Tsugzwang. According to Trump, things are developing differently than the concept of the Russian president. And do you think so?
– There are no signs of Trump’s willingness to do something specific, ie, the little to impose economic sanctions. They will not contribute much, but he doesn’t even do it, let alone the supply of modern weapons and expanding military assistance.
Do you think the United States, led by Trump, will change its policy and deliver more weapons to Ukraine?
– They could do it – it’s a matter of political will. But they are afraid – they are afraid of Putin’s nuclear threats. And he would never dare to reach for nuclear weapons because of Ukraine – this is a pure threat. The United States was afraid and continued to fear.
The West showed that his will was weak. He has weapons. France, Germany and the UK have weapons that can quickly produce and deliver to change the course of the war and even end it. I hope Russia will withdraw within its limits. Negotiations are only a substitute for all other measures.
What do you think as a person who is currently in Washington: Is Trump really ready to withdraw at any time, forget Ukraine or do as if it does not exist on the map?
– I think he would do that willingly. And in his environment, there are many who would gladly do just that: to hide their heads in the sand and insist that America is first – that nothing else matters and Europe does what it wants. This shows a complete misunderstanding of the role of America as the leader of the free world, as well as of American interests in general, including economic ones. It refrains solely because of public opinion, which in the United States is mainly on the side of Ukraine.
He is also worried that part of the American tradition is the manifestation of sympathy for democracies when they have to defend themselves from dictatorship. There are many, including Republicans in Europe and in the US Congress who are not found against Trump but have clear positions. There is a resolution in defense of Ukraine – and Trump must comply with it.
Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov was your deputy and you are very positive about him. But what are its possibilities for action within the Putin regime?
