Centuries-old ties between Russia & Ukraine not to be broken - Russian official

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The centuries-old ties between Russia and Ukraine can’t be broken either by Western politicians or by "the anti-popular Kiev regime", Valentina Matviyenko, Chairperson of the Federation Council, upper house of Russian parliament, said on Thursday, May 1.

She believes that the crisis in Ukraine was initiated by the United States and Western countries which "once again decided to organise a ‘colour revolution’. But they miscalculated. The Libyan, Iraqi and Yugoslav scenarios failed in Ukraine".

However in the absence of "sources of information that would give an objective picture of the situation, many people in Ukraine are beginning to believe" Western politicians. "They [Western countries] have simply set the task of antagonising people against Russia", Matviyenko told the "Logic of Power" programme on Radio Russia.

"But this is a temporary situation. No one will be able to break up the brotherly people, Russians and Ukrainians, as there is so much that brings us together. The time of this anti-popular regime which is acting in Ukraine now will pass, but all the bonds that held us together for centuries will remain," she said.
Matviyenko believes that attempts are being made to shift all the blame for this to Russia, but "all this doesn’t hold water".

 "Russia did not take part in organising this chaos. On the contrary, it warned against anti-constitutional actions," she noted and described the events in Ukraine as "an anti-constitutional coup" and "armed seizure of power".

"The international community is beginning to understand more and more who created this mess, what has actually happened in Ukraine and who is responsible for this," she added.
Matviyenko also warned against bloodshed and civil war in Ukraine. "It is unacceptable to talk to people in the way of force, blackmailing and threats. This leads nowhere. This leads to escalation of tensions in Ukraine. Gentlemen, stop and think about what you are doing!" she said, referring not only to the Kiev authorities but also to the West.

This is a gridlock. The present authorities, acting as guides for the geopolitical interests of the West, should openly say so. Or if you think about your country and your people, about how to preserve the unity of the country and its stability, you should act in a totally different way," Matviyenko said.

She stressed that "Russia will adhere to a firm position in order to prevent bloodshed and protect the people who live there using all available lawful and legal methods through the U.N. Security Council, international efforts and other democratic procedures".