Medvedev Warns Chances of Political Settlement in Ukraine Are Dwindling

June 3, 2022 (EIRNS)—Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy secretary of the Russian Security Council, granted a wide-ranging interview to Al Jazeera TV’s “Special Meeting” program in Arabic, covered in English by TASS in a series of reports dated June 2, in which he explained the real situation in Ukraine and vis-à-vis the West. He warned at the beginning that the chances of a political settlement in Ukraine are dwindling. “Regretfully, prospects are not getting better, they are getting worse. And it is impossible not to notice that,” he said. He warned further that Kyiv’s refusal to negotiate with Russia will lead to more Ukrainian casualties and loss of territories, and may eventually cause a total loss of Ukrainian sovereignty.

Medvedev said that a while ago, Ukraine “seemed to be willing to negotiate about key issues,” approaching the talks from a fairly realistic position. But, at some point, Kyiv suspended negotiations. According to the former President and Prime Minister, the U-turn was “clearly made under the influence of calls, coming to Kyiv from Washington and Brussels.”

“What will the consequences be? They are clear. Regretfully, there will be more victims, more damage and, eventually, Ukraine may lose more territories as a result of what is happening now. Ultimately, the refusal to negotiate will, in essence, lead to one thing—the loss of national sovereignty,” Medvedev said.

He blamed NATO’s destructive attitude for hampering a peaceful resolution of the situation in Ukraine. In his words, “those who, in fact, imposed their point of view on Ukraine” played “a huge role” in the failure of the diplomatic path. “I will name them openly. Those are the United States of America, European Countries and NATO in general. If it were not for their destructive stance, we would have come to an agreement,” Medvedev added.

When asked whether it was possible for Russia to achieve its goals without the special military operation, Medvedev replied: “There was a certain point in time after which it was no longer possible.”