Yevgeny
Magda
The sham trial of Nadia Savchenko is turning
from the Kremlin’s propaganda move into a serious problem for the Putin regime.
Poroshenko used his opportunity to talk to Ukraine’s potential partners in
Turkey. The European Commission is ready to cancel EU visa regime
for Georgia, while Ukraine is still on the waiting list. Barack Obama
continues to play a role as a global peacemaker.
Nadia Savchenko continues the unfair fight against Vladimir Putin. The
Kremlin propaganda masterminds tried to forcibly put into the Russian media
context the Ukrainian pilot captured by Luhansk separatists in the summer of
2014.
The idea was to show what will happen to anyone who helps to kill the
Russians, even more so – TV reporters. However, the jailers were proved wrong:
Savchenko appeared a tough nut to crack, while the evidence base in her case
fails to prove her guilt in the alleged crimes.
The arbitrariness in the court of Donetsk in Russia’s Rostov region has
resonated across the world almost as much as the the situation in another
Donetsk – a pro-Russian militant’s stronghold in eastern Ukraine. The wave of
support for Savchenko, who is not only Ukrainian member of parliament, but also
a delegate to PACE, has risen throughout the civilized world. And this support
is not limited to the collection of signatures and public rallies: the EU
leaders, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry
have issued statements on this matter. The West is rightfully wondering what
Putin’s next step will be on his way of violation of international law and
disregard for common sense.
However, the Russian response to the growing concerns over a week-long
hunger strike of the defiant Ukrainian pilot was sordid. Foreign Minister
Sergey Lavrov's said in his statement that the defendant would be deprived of
the possibility to be examined by Ukrainian doctors due to her disrespect to
the court (Nadia’s flipping off a judge actually seemed adequate to the
situation).
Besides, there appeared a hoax "letter from Poroshenko,” given
to Savchenko by her controversial lawyer Mark Feygin, which was obviously aimed
at discrediting her. It is possible that the trial of Nadia Savchenko will
destroy the remnants of Western illusions about the possibility of a civilized
political dialogue with Putin. There are discussions at the moment in the PACE
and the European Parliament about adopting a so-called "Savchenko
list," a sanction paper which would include her tormentors.
Petro Poroshenko visited Turkey, where he used the opportunity for an
intensive dialogue at the top level. There is a natural rapprochement between
Kyiv and Ankara today, catalyzed by Russia’s actions. Poroshenko and his
Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed to join efforts in the process
of de-occupation of Crimea. No less promising may become the creation of a free
trade area between the two countries. By the way, Turkey’s experience on
its very long way to the EU may also come in handy for Ukraine. Ukrainian
president did not miss the opportunity to meet with Ecumenical Patriarch
Bartholomew, who noted that the Church of Constantinople is the parent church
for Ukraine.
The European Commission has proposed to abolish visas for Georgia at the
beginning of the summer, which once again reminded about the complexities of
Ukrainian Euro-integration process. Unfortunately, the are times when Ukraine
was an informal favorite of “Eastern Partnership" have sunk into oblivion.
Today the Verkhovna Rada and the Cabinet of Ministers must finish their
homework in an emergency pace, without trying to cheat, in a harmful scholastic
habit. It is a real shame that most representatives of Ukraine’s political
elite do not understand, how real is the status of "gray zone" for
Ukraine.
Perhaps the position of Barack Obama, expressed in an interview with The
Atlantic, will help Kyiv authorities pull themselves together. The U.S.
president admitted that Ukraine is a core interest of Russia, not the U.S. It
is unlikely that this means that Washington refuses to support Kyiv, however it
will not jump head over feet for Ukraine. So, like most of the other countries
in this troubled competitive world, Ukraine must rely solely on itself.
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