The Verkhovna Rada may decide as early as next week to sever diplomatic relations with Russia, пишет Kommersant.
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The publication reports that the corresponding amendment will be made into the law “on the reintegration of Donbass,” which parliament is due to consider in the second reading on November 16.
“In the law on the reintegration of Donbass, which the Rada should consider in the second reading, Russia will be recognized as an aggressor country - I hope there will be votes for this. And maintaining diplomatic relations after this would be a crime on the part of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry. These relations are already effectively broken. There are no ambassadors; diplomats of not the first rank work in the embassies. We need to fix this gap at the legislative level,” the author of the amendment, Ivan Vinnik from the BPP, explained his motives to Kommersant.
At the same time, sources in Kiev claim that the severance of diplomatic relations with Russia right now, and especially in connection with the law “on the reintegration of Donbass,” was not part of Poroshenko’s plans, but the agreements with the Ukrainian leadership that he reached during his last US State Department Special Representative Kurt Volker's visit to Kiev at the end of October looked completely different - supposedly the law “on the reintegration of Donbass”, which the Rada should adopt in the second reading, Washington was going to present to Moscow as evidence of Kyiv’s goodwill and constructive approach.
“The amendment introduced by MP Vinnik threatens to create a completely different political context, which will be unpleasant news for Kurt Volcker on the eve of his negotiations with Russian presidential aide Vladislav Surkov, which are scheduled to take place on November 13 in Belgrade,” the newspaper warns.
At the same time, despite the attempts of Poroshenko’s circle to avoid friction with the Americans, the President of Ukraine and deputies in parliament oriented towards him will have to support the amendment.
“Today in society there is a clear social demand for a severance of relations with Moscow. This is evidenced by closed opinion polls that we regularly conduct. We cannot ignore this moment and swim against the tide. Especially in the current tense situation, when opponents of the government - Mikheil Saakashvili and his associates - are trying to organize a new Maidan. I hope the West will understand us. And if they don’t understand right away, we will convince them,” said a source in the Ukrainian presidential administration.
“The severance of diplomatic relations with Russia should not create problems for Ukraine. After more than three years of war, we have every legal and moral right to do this. The Ukrainian Embassy in Moscow has already been practically closed; only a few diplomats remain there. Only Ukrainian labor migrants working in Russia will have problems. But over time, they will find new jobs for themselves - in our country or in Europe,” said political strategist Viktor Ukolov, who is close to Poroshenko.
In addition, representatives of the majority of Verkhovna Rada factions said that they would support the severance of diplomatic relations with the Russian Federation.
At the same time, Poroshenko-supporting deputies say that they understand how “the president is put in a hopeless position, forced to break promises made to Volcker and the West in general,” but they explain this as Avakov’s revenge for the detention of his son.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry told the publication that after the parliament’s decision, the president must sign a decree on severing diplomatic relations, and then the period during which Russian diplomats must leave Ukraine will be announced.
“In parallel, Kyiv will begin negotiations with a third country so that its embassy represents the interests of Ukraine in Russia - transmits notes, correspondence, information to the Russian Foreign Ministry. Potential candidates for this role are Belarus (as the most convenient geographically) and neutral Switzerland,” the interlocutor at the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry clarified.