Europe is experiencing difficult times and the risks to its security can be overcome by maintaining a policy of solidarity, respect for international law and common values. Thus began the Ukrainian Ambassador to Italy, Yevhen Perelygin, emphasizing the words of Vladimir Putin a few days ago: "Russia's borders have no limits". According to the ambassador, it is wrong to speak of a "civil war" or a "hybrid war", since it is a real war, which has so far caused 11 deaths in Ukraine - of which 9 are civilians - and more of one and a half million displaced persons.
Europe's focus must be placed above all on the current situation of the democratic republic of Crimea. The Russian occupation of this region of Eastern Ukraine - which cost 16% of Ukraine's GDP - has led Putin's military army to garrison the area with more than seven thousand soldiers and about 700 tanks. However, the ambassador said he was grateful for the commitment of the international community which, through the UN and the Court in The Hague, has recognized Russia as an "occupying power" which is violating human rights.
The "aggressive attitude of the powerful neighbor" - said Perelygin - goes against the Minsk agreements, stipulated on 5 September 2014 to end the war in eastern Ukraine. The obstacles for the implementation of these are numerous: armaments and troops of the Russian federation in Donbass, the support with supplies of heavy weapons to the separatists of Eastern Ukraine and the lack of access to international observers in all areas of the Donbass and the border Russian-Ukrainian. Ukraine's wish is to ensure that the political process that must lead to compliance with the agreements made two years ago is strongly accelerated.
At the end of the summit held in Berlin with François Hollande, Angela Merkel and Vladimir Putin at the end of the summit at the end of October, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko proposed a "road map" to accelerate the application of the Minsk agreements, in view of a solution to the crisis in Eastern Ukraine. A meeting between the Foreign Ministers of Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France is expected in these hours to discuss the draft of the "road map" but Ambassador Perelygin said he was "pessimistic about the success of the meeting, given the distance of the position of the Russian minister compared to the others”.
Turning to bilateral relations between Ukraine and Italy, the Ukrainian ambassador appeared very optimistic, considering Italy's important role as a global player within the G7 and other major international bodies. According to the ambassador, there are good prospects for commercial and economic cooperation, also considering the 41% increase in exports of Italian products to Ukraine seen in the last year. In fact, three years after the events in Maidan square, Ukraine is experiencing a period of economic growth, also thanks to the facilities created for the creation of new businesses and the birth of two new bodies for the fight against corruption.
The sanctions against Russia certainly affect Italian business, but Perelygin specified that out of the 28 EU countries that suffer losses due to the sanctions, Italy is in eighteenth place in this particular ranking. Much of the economic problem that has arisen is caused by the internal Russian situation, not so much by the sanctions. High fashion products and the automotive sector, for example, are exempt from the sanctions themselves, but despite this they find it difficult to be exported to Eastern Europe, precisely due to the serious economic crisis that Russia is experiencing.
The ambassador intervened on the issue as follows: "I hope that Italy will continue to be a top-level global player, focusing more on the human rights violations perpetrated in Crimea and in the Donbass rather than on the economic losses suffered due to the sanctions against Russia ”.
Answering questions about Trump and future Ukraine/US relations on the sidelines of the conference, the ambassador noted: “Let's wait, let's get him to work; there is a big difference between pre-election promises and realpolitik, we will only be able to judge from the concrete actions of the next US president. We are optimistic about the development of strategic relationships and we trust Trump's entrepreneurial skills ”.
In conclusion, Perelygin reiterated the great trust that Ukraine places in the European Union, which must maintain its role as a global player and, through cooperation, must bring Putin back to the negotiating table so that the war can end.
