MOSCOW, July 2 (RIA Novosti) – Washington is not interested in active European participation in settling the Ukrainian crisis, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin said Wednesday.
“Relations seem to be cooling, not only with European capitals: we sense the influence of American partners, who are not interested in the European Union being more actively involved in dealing with the Ukrainian tragedy,” Karasin said in an interview with the Russian Rossiya 24 TV channel.
The Russian diplomat also argued that the US policy of sanctioning Russia will yield no result.
“The language of the sanctions related to Russia is doomed to fail, because our country is sufficiently confident in its capacities – both economic and political-military – to feel comfortable and reassured and continue to clarify its position,” Karasin concluded.
Last week the speaker of the upper chamber of Russian parliament, Valentina Matvienko, said Kiev bears full responsibility for the crisis in southeastern Ukraine, and blaming Moscow for it is turning a blind eye to the reality on the ground.
Following the March referendum in Crimea that led to the reunification with Russia, the West accused Moscow of escalating the crisis in Ukraine and violating the country’s territorial integrity.
Targeted sanctions have been imposed against Russian officials and some entities over Moscow’s alleged role in the conflict. Russia has condemned the measures saying they are counterproductive and warned of the boomerang effect they might have.
