Former State Duma deputy, political scientist Ruslan Balbek commented on Tuesday, October 19, on the statement by US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin that Russia is allegedly responsible for the beginning of the conflict in the Donbass, and now hinders its peaceful settlement.
According to him, it is strange to hear accusations of aggression from a country that has unleashed dozens of wars for no reason. At the same time, he suggested that with the help of such a statement, the United States is trying to "push part of its negative image onto Russia."
"I think that all this has been done to put another hope for a forceful solution to the civil conflict in the head of President Zelensky. And he, in turn, inspired by the support, will throw aside the proposal for a peaceful settlement and the implementation of the Minsk agreements, " he said in an interview with RT.
Balbek also expressed the opinion that the United States "has divided the Ukrainian people and completely dominates the country."
Earlier in the day, Austin said that Russia had started a war in the Donbass, violating the sovereignty of Ukraine. He also accused the country of violating the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine, writes Pravda.Ru .
On October 15, Alexey Arestovich, adviser to the head of the office of President Vladimir Zelensky, said that Ukraine had begun to work out a number of scenarios in case of a military conflict with Russia. In Kiev, he pointed out, they proceed from the fact that "the war with Russia is already underway" and under certain conditions may acquire the format of a full-scale conflict.
On October 10, ex-Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Pavlo Klimkin pointed out that the United States is the main assistance of the Ukrainian side in the fight against Russia. He is convinced that it is US President Joe Biden who can allegedly set Russia "red lines" in matters of global politics.
At the same time, on September 5, the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov stressed Russia's desire to normalize relations with Ukraine. He recalled that President Vladimir Putin had previously confirmed his readiness to meet with Zelensky, as relations with Kiev need to be improved. However, there is no reciprocal desire on the part of Ukraine, Peskov said.
Kiev has been conducting a military operation against the residents of Donbass since 2014, who refused to recognize the results of the coup and the new government in Ukraine. At the same time, Kiev blames Moscow for the current situation. Russia has repeatedly stated that it is not a party to the internal Ukrainian conflict and has called on Kiev to de-escalate and negotiate directly with the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics. The issues of its settlement are being discussed in the Minsk and Normandy formats - with the participation of Russia, Ukraine, France, and Germany.
