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Posted on 08/23/2014 3:43:34 PM PDT by DeaconBenjamin
BERLIN: Germany's vice chancellor, Sigmar Gabriel, said today establishing a federal Ukraine would be the only viable solution to the crisis pitting Kiev against pro-Russian separatists.
"The wise concept of federalism seems to me the only viable path," the vice chancellor and economic and energy affairs minister said in an interview to appear tomorrow in the German weekly Welt am Sonntag.
The paper released extracts of the interview just hours before German Chancellor Angela Merkel was set to meet Ukrainian officials in Kiev for crisis talks.
Merkel, the most influential Western leader to visit Ukraine's pro-Western leaders, will hold talks with President Petro Poroshenko, three days ahead of the first meeting in months between Poroshenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Minsk alongside top EU officials.
Western leaders have demanded Russia withdraw its disputed aid convoy from Ukraine after the Kremlin unilaterally sent them to the insurgent stronghold of Lugansk yesterday in a move Kiev decried as an "invasion".
Parts of the mammoth aid convoy crossed back into Russian territory today.
The German diplomatic push is aimed mainly at "avoiding, by any means possible, a direct military confrontation between Russia and Ukraine," Gabriel said.
"The territorial integrity of Ukraine cannot be preserved unless a proposition is made to the majority Russian-speaking regions," he said.
But he was pessimistic over a return to Kiev's control of the Crimean peninsula, annexed by Moscow in March.
Uhh Germany, your input isn’t necessary...you’ve tried enough times to dictate things in that part of the world.
Hum, Russia and Germany dividing up a formerly independent country. Sounds vaguely familiar.
Barbara Streisand! The USSR has been crushing Ukraine for centuries and the Ukrainian people are fed up.They want close relations with the West,in general,and the EU in particular.Any Russian speaking savage who doesn't like it should be given safe passage,for a limited period of time,to return home to the Soviet Union.Anyone who fails to take advantage of the plan within the appointed time period is fresh out of luck.
In the mean time I hope Europe has learned that it's *incredibly* unwise for her to depend on the savages ruling the USSR for something as important as oil or gas.Europe should be fracking and exploring the North Sea with renewed vigor so she can tell the Russian savages "you can shove your oil up your goddamn a$$!"
“The USSR has been crushing Ukraine for centuries “
The USSR didn’t exist for even 1 century.
“the Ukrainian people are fed up. They want close relations with the West,in general,and the EU in particular.”
Actually more than half of Ukrainian citizens voted the opposite way in the most recent election.
But you willfully ignore facts, why?
“Any Russian speaking savage who doesn’t like it should be given safe passage,for a limited period of time”
You sound just like Stalin.
Totalitarian solution.
Forced march? Ethnic cleansing? Genocide for those who won’t leave?
Ukrainian citizens should be deported because they speak the wrong language, have wrong ancestry, have wrong opinion?
Maybe you think you are on some ethnic hate site instead of Free Republic?
So let’s give Ireland back to England because most Irish speak English?
What a silly,silly comparison.Perhaps you'd tell us when the British or Irish governments shot down a civilian airliner.
Waiting.....waiting....waiting....
You misunderstand..
My point is that some think just because Ukrainians first language is Russian, that means they must want to join Russia, which I do not believe.
Citation, please.
Unfortunately, Ukraine is out of money. Where will they get it? If from the EU, then the Germans will have their say.
Ooops...sorry about that.
Possible explanation: See Wall Street Journal, “Bundesbank Warns of Slowing German Growth Amid Fallout From Ukraine Crisis.”
~You misunderstand..
My point is that some think just because Ukrainians first language is Russian, that means they must want to join Russia, which I do not believe.~
You are probably right. But on the other hand there are numerous Ukrainians (including Western ones) moving to Russia on a daily basis for a couple decades and there are no Russian immigrants moving in opposite direction. It worth mentioning that Ukrainians in Russia aren’t screaming discrimination. They are simply working, doing business and enjoying their lives - something they probably couldn’t do well at home.
Sigmar Gabriel is the leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany which is part of the the Socialist International.
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