Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko is unable to cope with domestic problems and had to pursue "symbolic politics," meeting with the leaders of France and Germany on Monday in Berlin, writes the German newspaper Tagesspiegel.
Ukrainian diplomats, for their turn, immediately interpreted Putin’s absence as a sign of the growing distance between Moscow and the West. However, Paris and Berlin authorities stressed that the meeting was requested by Poroshenko himself, and that the resolution of the crisis is impossible without Russia.
“While the relations between Russia and the West have stabilized on a certain level of mistrust and mutual accusations, distance between Ukraine and the West has rather increased over the last time,” the newspaper wrote.
Politicians in Kiev are becoming increasingly unhappy about the fact that they have to directly negotiate with the Donbass militias. The domestic situation is also complicated by the threat of bankruptcy. According to some estimates, the country may become insolvent already in early October.
Despite numerous promises, the Ukrainian government failed to put an end to the military conflict, carry out reforms and stop the economic decline. The ratings of the president and prime minister have significantly fallen shortly before the local elections.
Only 2.8% are ready to vote for the party of Arseniy Yatsenyuk, 23.5% — for "Petro Poroshenko Bloc."
