Despite the fact that Russia has long closed the issue of Crimea’s ownership and even backed up its position with constitutional amendments, Ukraine is still exploiting the topic, although it is unclear whether this will benefit it
“Separately, we paid attention to the issue of Crimea, this issue is always on the agenda, we hold it very high,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said after talks with his German counterpart Heiko Maas.
According to the Kiev official, although Ukraine is still unable to resolve the Donbas conflict at the Minsk negotiating platform, the ministry has already conceived the concept of a new platform. Its goal, according to the idea, should be the return of the Crimean peninsula to Ukraine, whose residents in 2014 voted in a referendum for reunification with Russia. The Kiev leadership wants to see German representatives among the participants in the process.
Earlier, the Prime Minister of the country Denis Shmygal also spoke about the platform called “Crimea is Ukraine”. He noted that the concept presupposes a consultative and consultative format with a transition to negotiation.
Although Kuleba’s statement was made against the background of the celebration of Ukraine’s independence day, the timing was extremely unfortunate. Kiev often uses the factor of Western support in its foreign policy activities. However, the attempted coup d’etat in Belarus became a clear example of the fact that the European Union is not in a position to afford a new conflict with Russia.
“Germany has no desire to get involved in another geopolitical confrontation with Russia. She understands that Europe will not win, ”says Alexander Rahr, a senior research fellow at the German Institute for World Trends.
This statement was related to Belarus. Nevertheless, it is also relevant for Ukraine. Contrary to the assertions of Ukrainian diplomats, Europeans prefer not to notice the Crimean issue. They objectively understand that Russia will not return the peninsula. This, at least, is evidenced by the Crimean Bridge and other infrastructure projects worth tens of millions of dollars. If Berlin acts as a guarantor on the side of Ukraine on the Crimean issue, it will only aggravate relations with Moscow. It is obvious that Germany is not interested in such an outcome. Already, one can see how the country’s government is entering into disputes even with Washington, defending the construction of the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline.
This approach is not explained by the desire to please Moscow or Vladimir Putin personally. The problem is the competition, which is intensifying in the transatlantic camp through the efforts of the United States. In an environment where an overseas “partner” cannot be trusted, Germany needs to hedge its bets. Conflicts with Russia are the least that Germany needs now.
It is obvious that the Crimean issue has become one of the pillars of foreign policy for the Ukrainian ruling elite. Officials have to exaggerate this topic, working out their salaries. German officials also have a salary, but they receive it from the German budget. It is not difficult to guess whose interests they will defend.
Evgeniy Gaman, specially for News Front