Russias position on the Ukrainian issue Lazareva Marina

Russia’s position on the Ukrainian issue Lazareva Marina Candidate of Legal Sciences Senior Lecturer Moscow State Law University (Russia)

Position of the Russian Authorities Concept of the Russian Federation Foreign Policy (12/02/2013) «д) to develop relations with Ukraine as a priority partner in the CIS, to facilitate its participation in the deep integration processes»

Russian President Annual Address to the Federal Assembly (12/12/2013) «We do not force anybody on anything. But if our friends want to work together, we are ready to continue this work on an expert level. Our integration project is based on equality, real economic interests. We will gradually promote the Eurasian process, without setting it against other integration projects, including the European one, we will act upon our complementarity»

Russia-Ukraine Government Working Meeting (17/12/2013) A decision to give to Ukraine 15 billion US dollars and to reduce gas price (from 404 USD to 268, 5 USD for a thousand of cubic meters of gas) “in order to support not a specific government, but the people of Ukraine”

State Duma Declaration (10/12/2013) «A geopolitical choice of Ukraine is a domestic and sovereign matter of its people. Ukraine is a strategic partner of Russia, our people have common centuries-old social, economic, political and cultural ties, and Russia always was and will be interested in a strong and thriving Ukraine»

State Duma Declaration (22/01/2014) «Deputies of the State Duma will lend a full legislative support to shared large-scale projects in the area of economics, science and culture. The State Duma is ready to substantially activate co-operation with the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, its different parties advocating for development of the Russian-Ukrainian partnership»

Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov (February 2014) “Eastern partnership” project forces its members to make a one -sided decision – either to be with the European Union, or with Russia. This contradicts the policy proclaimed in the documents of the OSCE aimed to eliminate dividing lines in Europe. Russia favors a set-up of a future common economic and humanitarian territory from Lisbon to Vladivostok”

Position of the Russian People 73% - feel concern about the events in Ukraine 49, 7% - think that signing an Agreement with the EU is an internal affair of Ukraine 3% - expressly support integration of Ukraine with the EU 30% - believe that an Association agreement of Kiev with the EU will be a betrayal against Slavic unity of Russia, Ukraine and Byelorussia 45% - consider that the protest movements in Ukraine were instigated by Western secret services

Conditions facilitating closer Russia-Ukraine relations Economic co-operation: Russia and Ukraine can equally co-operate and do so in economics without a danger to become a rawmaterial appendage of each other

Cultural, relational, personal ties and co-operation - about 17% of the Ukrainian people are Russian - almost every second Ukrainian has relatives in Russia, every third – friends or good acquaintances - about half of the Ukrainians use the Russian language in the day-to-day life - more than a half of the Ukrainians do not consider Russia a foreign country

Common history and literature - roots of the Russian state can be found in Kievan Rus - many great writers and poets are Russian and Ukrainian at the same time - common social space between our countries – social networks, Russianspeaking Internet, - common cinematography, show business and scientific information

So friends should be friends!