Sunday

4th Jun 2023

Putin has lost Ukraine, US diplomat says

  • Woman in conflict zone: Russia made Ukraine more pro-Nato by killing Ukrainians, Kurt Volker said (Photo: WFP/EU/Pete Kiehart)

Russia's Ukraine "operation" has backfired by making its former vassal state more pro-Western than ever, a US diplomat has said.

"They [Russian leaders] are driving the Ukrainian people away from their historic relationship with Russia," Kurt Volker, the US state department's special envoy on Ukraine, told press in Brussels on Thursday (11 October).

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Become an expert on Europe

Get instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

  • Volker (r) said EU and US needed to maintain sanctions on Russia until Putin pulled his forces out of Ukraine (Photo: nat.int)

"Ukraine today is more unified, more nationalist, more oriented toward Europe and Nato and the West than has even been true before, and that's a direct result of Russia's intervention in Ukraine and killing of Ukrainians," he said.

Russia's actions were putting the 1.5m mostly Russian-speaking Ukrainians in the conflict zone through a "horrific experience", Volker noted.

"The ceasefire continues to be broken every night, people continue to be killed ... there's shelling, mortar fire, sniper fire, unexploded ordinance, no freedom of movement, [and] a collapsing economy," he said.

Russian president Vladimir Putin has denied Russia's involvement in the fighting, which erupted in 2014 after Ukrainians toppled a pro-Russian regime in Kiev.

But Kremlin propaganda has not convinced serious people in Europe or the US, Volker indicated.

"This is purely a Russia-controlled operation, as opposed to any kind of indigenous conflict," he said.

The US and EU have asked Russia to extract its forces, return control of the border to Ukraine, and let in UN peacekeepers to protect the general population.

Putin is willing to let in a mini-UN mission to protect international observers from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), who already patrol the line of contact.

But Volker said the US and EU states would not back that in the UN Security Council, as it would merely entrench the position of the Russia-controlled 'republics' in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

Drifting away

Thursday's split of the Ukrainian orthodox church from the Russian one underlined Volker's claim that Putin had lost Ukraine in terms of hearts and minds.

"I hope there are no protests or violence instigated [in Ukraine] as a result of this decision - that would be tragic," Volker said.

"This [Ukrainian autocephaly] is a great victory of the God-loving Ukrainian people over the Moscow demons," Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko said.

Opinion polls also backed up Volker's claim, with two-thirds of Ukrainians now keen to join Nato, compared to less than half before Russia's invasion.

Meanwhile, the OSCE monitors recorded 570 explosions in the conflict zone in their last report, out on Wednesday.

In one area, a 55-year old man lost his foot in an explosion, they said. In another area, a nine-year old boy was hit in the head by shrapnel.

Russian presence

The monitors saw Russian-made tanks, armoured vehicles, anti-aircraft guns, and artillery on the Russia-controlled side.

Bullets also flew over the heads of OSCE observers in an incident on Wednesday, but they could not tell who had fired them.

"It's very important that we [the US and EU] continue to keep sanctions in place, given that Russia has not withdrawn its forces from Ukraine," Volker said on Thursday, referring to Western economic sanctions, visa bans, and asset freezes on Russia.

The US diplomat last met Russia's envoy on the conflict, Vladislav Surkov, in January.

They had no plans to meet again, but they communicated via "notes" despite the frozen diplomacy, Volker said.

EU draws red lines round Ukraine

The EU has roundly criticised Russian aggression in Ukraine amid concern that US leader Donald Trump might break Western ranks.

US warns on flare-up in Ukraine 'crisis'

Fighting in Ukraine escalated to "hellish" levels not seen since February amid warnings of a humanitarian catastrophe in the run-up to Christmas.

Opinion

All Quiet on the Eastern Front?

Russia is trying to foment a clash between Hungary and Ukraine over the territory of Zakarpattia in a potential crisis overlooked by EU leaders.

Opinion

How the EU's money for waste went to waste in Lebanon

The EU led support for the waste management crisis in Lebanon, spending around €89m between 2004-2017, with at least €30m spent on 16 solid-waste management facilities. However, it failed to deliver.

Latest News

  1. Spanish PM to delay EU presidency speech due to snap election
  2. EU data protection chief launches Frontex investigation
  3. Madrid steps up bid to host EU anti-money laundering hub
  4. How EU leaders should deal with Chinese government repression
  5. MEPs pile on pressure for EU to delay Hungary's presidency
  6. IEA: World 'comfortably' on track for renewables target
  7. Europe's TV union wooing Lavrov for splashy interview
  8. ECB: eurozone home prices could see 'disorderly' fall

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. International Sustainable Finance CentreJoin CEE Sustainable Finance Summit, 15 – 19 May 2023, high-level event for finance & business
  2. ICLEISeven actionable measures to make food procurement in Europe more sustainable
  3. World BankWorld Bank Report Highlights Role of Human Development for a Successful Green Transition in Europe
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersNordic summit to step up the fight against food loss and waste
  5. Nordic Council of MinistersThink-tank: Strengthen co-operation around tech giants’ influence in the Nordics
  6. EFBWWEFBWW calls for the EC to stop exploitation in subcontracting chains

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. InformaConnecting Expert Industry-Leaders, Top Suppliers, and Inquiring Buyers all in one space - visit Battery Show Europe.
  2. EFBWWEFBWW and FIEC do not agree to any exemptions to mandatory prior notifications in construction
  3. Nordic Council of MinistersNordic and Baltic ways to prevent gender-based violence
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersCSW67: Economic gender equality now! Nordic ways to close the pension gap
  5. Nordic Council of MinistersCSW67: Pushing back the push-back - Nordic solutions to online gender-based violence
  6. Nordic Council of MinistersCSW67: The Nordics are ready to push for gender equality

Join EUobserver

Support quality EU news

Join us