Putin’s plan: bargaining for advantages to terrorists
The peace plan proposed by Pres Putin boils down to bargaining for advantages to Donbas terrorists in their confrontation with Ukraine.
Russia’s Nezavisimaya gazeta writes on the Sept. 5 Minsk peace talks between Kyiv and Donbas separatists leaders:
“In fact, all the plan’s steps are conditions to Ukraine (except the unconditional exchange of prisoners and humanitarian corridors for refugees).
Putin’s plan has no mention of Russia’s obligations to promote the peace process.
‘The fact that the degree of Moscow’s influence on Donbas militants remains opaque prevents the drawing up of a peaceful road map. Kyiv and the West believe Moscow is willing to get a decisive influence over what will happen in Donbas. Moscow keeps saying it can only appeal to the militants, not bring them to heel.
For their part, Donbas militants are pushing on Russia their uncompromised vision of what they want to happen (only independence from Ukraine!) playing on Russia’s commitment to support the two Donbas republics and on Putin’s fears that the lack of support will eat into his approval ratings.
Meanwhile, the essence of Poroshenko’s peace plan is the withdrawal of the Russian troops, Tetyana Ivzhenko from Nezalezhna gazeta writes.
Putin’s plan is merely a red herring to cover up his true goals, many officials in Kyiv believe. Premier Yatseniuk called it an attempt to save the terrorists and avoid West’s sanctions, she says.
According to political analyst Viktor Bala, there is one more reason why Russians continue to destabilize the situation in Ukraine – “they want Ukraine to become a failure state with its hands tied by the war and unable to carry out democratic reform.”