The claims of three former US ambassadors that the coronavirus pandemic may present an opportunity for Kiev to take back Donbas and with it its international border makes no sense, as Russia is coping with the health crisis better than Ukraine, Sergei Tsekov, a Russian upper house lawmaker representing Crimea, told Sputnik on Wednesday
MOSCOW/SIMFEROPOL (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th April, 2020) The claims of three former US ambassadors that the coronavirus pandemic may present an opportunity for Kiev to take back Donbas and with it its international border makes no sense, as Russia is coping with the health crisis better than Ukraine, Sergei Tsekov, a Russian upper house lawmaker representing Crimea, told Sputnik on Wednesday.
Earlier this week, three former US ambassadors to Ukraine William B. Taylor, Steven Pifer and John E. Herbst said in an op-ed for the NPR broadcaster that the pandemic presented "an unexpected opportunity" to resolve the conflict in Ukraine. They explained that the economic downturn caused by the pandemic could be used to pressure Russia to return the Donbas region, where two areas have declared their independence from Ukraine, and the international border to Ukrainian sovereignty.
"A bout of amnesia swept over the three former ambassadors at once. Their statement does not even have elementary logic," Tsekov said.
According to the lawmaker, the coronavirus situation once again proved that being part of Russia would help the peninsula survive the pandemic with less losses.
"We see how poorly Kiev is now coping with this situation. And it's not just about the fight against the virus itself but about the social and economic consequences. And we understand that now, thanks to Russia, we are much better protected in the Crimea," Tsekov added.
The lawmaker also stated that the pandemic should strengthen the international community.
Crimea reunified with Russia back in 2014 following a successful referendum on the matter on the peninsula. While Western countries and Kiev have not recognized Crimea's new status and accused Moscow of meddling in Ukraine's affairs, Moscow has denied any interference claims and insisted that the referendum was carried out in line with international law.
