Interfax: Pushkov: Russia-Ukraine relations entering new stage, serious conflict looming

Alexei Pushkov file photo

MOSCOW. June 17 (Interfax) – State Duma International Affairs Committee Chairman Alexei Pushkov suspects the U.S. has pushed Kyiv into refusing to pay for Russian gas.

“Attacks on the Russian Embassy, yesterday’s attempt to attack the [Russian] Consulate in Odesa, the affront put upon the Russian president, the ongoing arrests of Russian journalists and the refusal to pay for gas, I think this is a deliberate decision orchestrated by the United States and links of the same chain,” Pushkov said in the State Duma’s Statement Hour on Tuesday on behalf of the United Russia faction.

Russia-Ukraine relations are entering into a brand new stage, he said. “And this stage brings us closer to a serious conflict,” the parliamentarian underscored.

In the opinion of Pushkov, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk is intentionally pursuing the logic of conflict in Russia-Ukraine relations “to serve the Obama administration which seeks in this logic of conflict an opportunity to foster U.S. interests, impose sanctions on Russia and adjust the entire Western alliance to it.”

“As we can see, Kyiv has waged a political war on us. So far, it is political,” the State Duma committee chairman said.

Meanwhile, the West insists that Russia cooperate with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and “it is unclear on what grounds,” the political said. “We have demonstrated the readiness for cooperation at the most serious negotiations we have, actually these are our only negotiations, gas [negotiations],” Pushkov said.

Russia did the utmost to reach a compromise at those negotiations, he said. “We proved to be a responsible side. Europe was inclined to support our position. But what reply did we get? We got reasoning of “superhuman” Yatsenyuk who said Ukraine would not subsidize Gazprom. It would have been funny if it had not been an intentional move,” the parliamentarian said.

“A nationalist dictatorship with an obvious Nazi coloring is taking shape in Ukraine,” he continued. “Only the people dominated by such ideas can sing the Ukrainian anthem when civilians, not military, are being killed, smothered and shot down in the Union House in Odesa and bloodcurdling screams are coming from there,” Pushkov said.

Only such people “can boast their Nazi views and paint swastikas on the walls of Kyiv homes and the Russian Embassy,” he said.

“This is a classic Nazi ideology. And we can see it being reproduced in Ukraine,” the State Duma committee head noted.

He also commented on the latest statement by Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk. “We have been hearing from the illegitimate premier of Ukraine, and I remind you that Yatsenyuk is the illegitimate premier in Ukraine who can become legitimate only after the Verkhovna Rada election and the formation of a full-value government, so we have been hearing from this illegitimate premier about “subhumans” living in eastern Ukraine. It seems Yatsenyuk sees himself as a “superhuman”,” he said.

Nazi symbols and ideology in Ukraine have caught attention of many Europeans but “people who see that are unable to fully present [their observations] either in the media or on public platforms,” the committee chairman said.

 

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