Andrej Cozirjev: The only way to stop Putin is to get Ukraine ‘arms to the teeth’ – the world

DW: Mr. Kozirjev, what is your forecast on negotiations between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul?

Andrej Cozirjev: I’d be very happy to make mistakes, but unfortunately it seems to me that it is a complete waste of time. There is no reason to negotiate those, who participates in them, be able to be completed by any success.

The only way to stop Vladimir Putin, it is actually made to engage in normal negotiations and consider intervention stop, is that Ukraine is armed to the teeth, how it sometimes says US President Donald Tramp. Only the Ukrainian army, Ukrainian economy and the power of the entire country can be an obstacle to further aggression in Europe and continuation of that war. Still, that’s not happening.

DW: Putin is assumed that the pressure was under pressure after diplomatic conversations for the last few weeks. And at the moment Tramp already stated that Putin pulls him for his nose and that things took place completely different than Putin imagined. Do you see that?

There are no signs that tramp is really ready to take concrete measures, at least impose economic sanctions, although they would not be of great benefit. But he does not do that, let alone that (Ukraine) delivers modern weapons, increases military assistance, etc.

For now I see one thing: Neither Trump, nor anyone else in the west, among Western allies, is not ready to do what Russian ‘East Allies’ make for Russia. North Korea and Iran deliver weapons and rockets. North Korea now even directly participates in the intervention and sends its troops. And the west just a story. What kind of threat then are we talking about? Putin got used to those threats.

DW: Do you think it will now under the tramp to change its policy and increase military presence in Ukraine?

Of course, that they could do, it’s just a matter of political will. But they are afraid. Putin’s nuclear blackmail is afraid. However, Putin will never reach for nuclear weapons due to Ukraine. It’s a pure threat. Now they were afraid and are still afraid.

The West has shown that it is weak will. He has a weapon. France, Germany and the United Kingdom have weapons that could be quite quickly scheduled or produced, in order to really change the course of this war, and even ended it.

I hope the Russia will withdraw behind its boundaries. Negotiations are just a substitute for any other measures.

DW: What do you think of anyone in Washington right now, is Tramp really ready to retire, to forget about Ukraine and pretend not to exist on the map?

I think he would be happy to do so. And in his surroundings, there are many who would prefer just do this: stabbed the sand like Noah and claimed that America was not interested in the first place, and that Europe should do anything. This shows the full lack of understanding the role of America as the leader of the free world and American interests in the whole, including economic. The only thing that prevents him from public opinion, which is mostly on the side of Ukraine.

What bothers him is, is that part of the American tradition is to express compassion against democracy when they must defend themselves from dictatorship. As in Europe, there are many those, including Republicans, in the US Congress, which are not open against tramp, but they still clearly stand behind their attitude. There is a resolution on the support of Ukraine – and Tramp must respect it.

DW: The Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrow was on negotiations in Istanbul. It was your deputy and you are very positively talking about him. But what does the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the current structure of Putin’s power structure, especially in the role of a potential peacekeeper? What would it be possible at all?

Nothing. Because, every minister of foreign affairs, as I am while I was the Minister, conducts the President’s policy. In this case, it’s a dictator. The Minister of Foreign Affairs serves a dictator, does not serve Russia’s interests.

I think Lavrow is very aware that this war is almost a big disaster for Russia, as well as for Ukraine. And in the long run, it could be even a bigger disaster. Because Russia is losing himself, while Ukraine is found in this heroic fight.