MOSCOW. Nov 28 (Interfax) - United States Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations Kurt Volker is trying to pressure Russia by alleging regress in negotiations, Federation Council Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Konstantin Kosachyov told Interfax on Tuesday.
"Remarks by United States Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations Volker that his latest negotiations with Vladislav Surkov were 'a step back' is, above all, a way to put pressure on Russia to create a relevant backdrop for ongoing negotiations. Why else would he say such things while the process is still ongoing?" Kosachyov said.
The way Volker sees his mission is the key problem, he said.
"Roughly speaking, to reach agreement or not? Nominally, to agree [on the implementation of the Minsk Agreements]. But actually, the American described the Minsk Agreements back in 2015 not as 'a peace deal but as an agreement on dividing Ukraine pushed on Kyiv by Germany, Russia and France' and 'a problem rather than a solution.' It is not surprising that guided by this premise, Volker is offering Russia 26 provisions for discussion, only three of which are feasible," Kosachyov said.
This is being done amid the Normandy format's stagnation for objective reasons, he said.
"The question is whether this is an intentionally unacceptable scenario, which is bound to demonstrate Russia's inability to come to agreement. Washington will say it has done all it could and switch to the customary format of sanctions and delivery of lethal weapons to Kyiv, which Trump's special representative is inclined to support," Kosachyov said.
Volker does not seem to want any compromise, so "he sets an ultimatum: Russia should either adjust its attitude or face the consequences," Kosachyov said.
"The second question is whether he is playing a personal game and informing Washington that Russians are reluctant to come to terms. Or could it be that this 'hawk' has been delegated to prevent any agreement, as happened in the Soviet play, 'We the undersigned', in which the hypercritical inspector was sent with the purpose of bluntly refusing to accept a construction project? Could that be that the White House simply dismissed the matter and nominated a person who would definitely be confirmed by a nagging Congress?" Kosachyov said.
"There is no progress so far because the U.S. negotiator proceeds from the premise that 'Russia should pull out troops', 'peacekeepers should control the Russian-Ukrainian border', that the restoration of Kyiv's sovereignty over the LPR and the DPR is more important than a ceasefire, etc., which leads us to the conclusion that Volker gives us a choice between doing as we are told or doing nothing at all, because we are the ones who need a solution more," Kosachyov said.
"Negotiations should go on, however, because people, mostly Russians and not Americans, are dying in Donbas," he said.