MOSCOW, April 16 (RIA Novosti) – The US and EU policies on Ukraine are irresponsible and may unleash civil war in the country, Salim Lamrani, a professor at Paris-Sorbonne University, told RIA Novosti Wednesday.
“The US and Europe’s behavior is irresponsible because they per se helped to execute a coup aimed at toppling an internationally recognized government, which can lead to unleashing of civil war,” Lamrani said.
“The acting government in Ukraine is illegitimate because it came to power as a result of violent acts supported by Washington and the EU,” he added.
Current protests in eastern Ukraine are a direct offshoot of February’s coup carried out by Nazi-like far-right activists, Lamrani said.
“The anti-Russian rhetoric of Kiev’s authorities, who plan to review language policy, is aimed against the population of eastern Ukraine,” the expert said.
Feeling that the new Kiev authorities are not interested in protecting their rights, the Russian-speaking Ukrainians decided “to repel the usurpers and demand independence,” Lamrabi concluded.
Earlier on Wednesday, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the Atlantic alliance will boost its military presence in the Baltic and Mediterranean seas. Several warships have been deployed to the Black Sea over the last few days, including the US missile destroyer Donald Cook.
Ukraine’s acting President Oleksander Turchynov announced Tuesday the start of a military operation, involving military forces, against pro-federalization protesters in eastern Ukraine. Russia strongly condemned the move, calling it an extremely dangerous development.
Eastern Ukraine, which has a large proportion of Russian speakers, has been swept by rallies supporting federalization since last month.
