© Sputnik/ Mikhail Palinchak
In the interview, published Tuesday, Yatsenyuk stated that “Ukraine is just the first battle in Moscow’s war against the West,” adding that his country is now “protecting the borders of the European Union from Russian invasion.” He added that “we are all in danger, since Russia wants to destabilize the planet, and does this even as one of the five permanent members of the Security Council, whose task should be to ensure world order.”The prime minister explained that Ukraine’s destructive ‘anti-terrorist operation’ in its eastern regions was really Russian President Vladimir Putin’s way of punishing Kiev for its decision to join Europe. “We wanted to join Europe, against the will of Vladimir Putin, and he, to punish us, unleashed an offensive in the east of the country,” the PM railed.
Demonstrating his apparent lack of awareness of political realities on the ground in the self-proclaimed Donbass republics, the young prime minister noted that Russia “continues to supply tanks, heavy weapons and money to the rebels,” adding that the resolution to the conflict will require that Russia “withdraw its forces” so that Ukraine can reintegrate its wayward Donetsk and Lugansk regions. Again marking down Kiev’s failures to the Russian president, Yatsenyuk noted that resolving the conflict in the east “is not yet possible because Putin does not want it.”
Brushing off the presence of the Right Sector and other radical nationalist formations in the eastern regions torn by war, Yatsenyuk stated that “we are at war, and it is difficult to make a distinction between those who are more or less nationalist in such a case. Everyone wants to defend Ukraine.”Throughout the interview, Yatsenyuk took jabs at Putin, stating that he’s a “tough nut” that can’t be trusted, and adding that the Russian president “understands only the language in which he speaks: the language of rudeness.”
Ultimately, Yatsenyuk predicted that Putin “overestimates his country, which is experiencing economic problems.” He noted that “Russia is weaker than NATO militarily, has poor economic prospects, its population is aging, and its kleptocratic government has dictatorial tendencies.” In Yatsenyuk’s view, “sooner or later the regime in Moscow will fall,” and Crimea will return to Ukraine: “The same people who shouted in joy in the streets of Sevastopol last year over becoming Russian, bitterly regret their choice today. I am confident that my generation and those that come after it will do everything to ensure Crimea’s return [to Ukraine],” the PM concluded.
