Visa regime with Russia will have catastrophic consequences for Ukraine – expert
Speaking about Ukraine, we have three major news today. First of all, about the decision to leave the CIS. As for the CIS, do you think this alliance is still viable? Because some experts put it bluntly, saying that this organization has no future. Do you share this point of view?
You see, the matter is that the CIS is actually a club of the post-Soviet states, which is a not a club for decision-making but a club for consultations, opinion-sharing. Other integration structures are taking obligatory decisions. But the CIS is taking only recommendations but not obligations.
So, it is actually a symbolic action, because Kyiv government needs to do a sort of symbolic movement. Having lost Crimea it needs to make some sharp steps to save its own reputation and demonstrate that it is more or less able to take some decision.
So, the declaration of leaving the CIS is a sort of tough decision that symbolizes that Kyiv government is able to do nothing.
And speaking about the decision to withdraw the troops from Crimea (the Ukrainian decision), what does it mean and what the potential consequences of this move are?
It is a peaceful resolution of the potential conflict that nobody would like to have, because the game is over. So, keeping the troops on the Crimean territory can lead to a misunderstanding, can lead to tensions and can lead to a mutual conflict, more or less.
So, the Crimea question moved to the diplomatic sphere and should be discussed as a diplomatic matter but not as a military one. So, it is a wise move of accepting the reality as it is.
And how would you comment on the introduction of the visa regime by Ukraine? Will it affect the bilateral ties between Moscow and Kyiv or how it will affect the development of relations between the two countries?
So far this is a declaration, because no real decision has been taken so far. But if the visa regime would be imposed, it would have catastrophic consequences for Kyiv itself, because there are about two million Ukrainians working in Russia.
So, having in Ukraine two million angry men because they lost their job due to the new visa thrill, it will be first of all the problem of Kyiv government but nobody else’s.
So, it is sort of a situation where they need to do something and demonstrate that they are able to do something, but I think that this move has quite a lot of chances to remain only a declaration, but not a real decision.