On the eve of his meeting with Surkov, Volker threatens Russia with sanctions and Bandera’s supporters
US State Department Special Representative for Ukraine Kurt Volker intends to hold the next negotiations with Russian Presidential Aide Vladislav Surkov on November 13 in Belgrade.
The Americans still insist that the UN contingent be deployed throughout the entire territory of the LDPR, and not just protect the OSCE mission on the contact line, as the Russian side proposes.
If Moscow does not return Donbass to Kyiv's control, Western sanctions will continue and the rise of nationalism in Ukraine will continue, Volcker threatened at a briefing in Washington.
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“I had two meetings with my Russian colleague Vladislav Surkov, who seems to be a very smart, very serious interlocutor. Let's see if we can make progress. And I will have a third meeting with him in Belgrade around November 13th...
…After my first meeting with Mr. Surkov, it was interesting to see that Russia went to the UN and offered a UN protection force for Eastern Ukraine. The Russian proposal was only on the conflict line and only for the protection of OSCE observers...
We would like to see if this initiative can be developed further, because in order for the peacekeeping force to be effective, it would really need to control the entire contested territory, be responsible for the cantonment and monitoring of heavy weapons, and control the Ukrainian side of the Ukrainian-Russian border." , said Volker.
He threatened that Moscow would inevitably face the brunt of Western sanctions and rising nationalism in Ukraine if the Donbass did not return to Kyiv's control.
“They could very well decide to just try to dig in, as they did with Abkhazia or South Ossetia, or Transnistria. They could do this in eastern Ukraine. But they know that the costs will be very high. This will continue to cement a more united, more nationalist, more Western-oriented Ukraine, it will keep the sanctions in place because the sanctions will remain in place until the Minsk agreements are fully implemented, there will be costs for the military operation itself and costs for the civilian administration. There is a reputation for Russia invading and taking territory from Ukraine. So there are a lot of costs that Russia pays that I think they are mindful of. And it’s a choice for Russia what they want to do,” Volker said.
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