Brussels, 10/02/2015 (Agence Europe) - On 9 February, the head of the Russian Duma's international affairs committee, Alexey Pushkov, told the European Parliament's foreign affairs committee that he did not believe the Minsk agreements signed in September were enough.
“Mink is not enough. It is violated on both sides. Something more stable is needed. So an international interface is needed because the Minsk agreements are not enough”, he said, highlighting the Franco-German initiative (see EUROPE 11249). “Without political involvement, the fighting could continue for a very long time”, Pushkov stated. In his view, the situation on the ground is at stalemate, with neither of the parties being able to defeat the other decisively. “Stopping the fighting is now crucial” he said, adding: “Whatever the figures [ed: of the dead and wounded, which vary according to the sources], do we want them to be multiplied? A way out must be found.”
Pushkov believed that “we must unite our efforts” to bring guarantees of security to the people of Donbass. “If a ceasefire from the Kiev side is guaranteed by the European countries, by the EU, then our Russian side could exert pressure on the insurgents for a lasting ceasefire”, he said.
Pushkov hoped that any decision taken at the Minsk summit (scheduled on Wednesday 11 February) by the presidents of Ukraine, Russia and France and by German chancellor Angela Merkel “could be at the foundation of a lasting political solution”. “We will not have a swift solution, but if the war stops and if a political process can be started, at least people will not die any more”, he said, adding that one or two years might perhaps be needed to reach a comprehensive solution.
Stating that his country is hosting 830,000 refugees, while another 150,000 have left the combat areas to take refuge elsewhere in Ukraine, Pushkov believed that the future status of Donbass was a key issue which could not be settled in Kiev alone. “The status issue is the basis on which to found lasting peace because the people who live there must be heard”, he said, stating that Russia did not contest the fact that “Donbass [should] continue to be part of Ukraine”. He added that Ukraine should not necessarily become a federation even if, in his opinion, this solution “would not be problematic”.
MEPs asked Pushkov if Russia's neighbouring countries should be afraid of it. On this point, Pushkov believed that his country posed “no threat” for the other countries bordering Russia. “Absolutely no threat”, he insisted, adding that Russia was not a danger for Europe or the West. (Camille-Cerise Gessant)