West forced Kiev to cut Russian ties

Q: The role of NATO has always been a contentious issue between the West and Russia, specifically now when we’re seeing the situation in Ukraine. Isn’t further NATO involvement, albeit just through words, going to hamper the situation more and make it worse?
 
Babich: I think it’s already making the situation worse because NATO has engaged itself 100 percent on the side of the Ukrainian government in what is basically a civil war in Ukraine.
 
    The problem is that the Western media doesn’t recognize that there is a civil war in Ukraine because some of the Ukrainian citizens who once voted President Yanukovich into power - he won an internationally recognized election in 2010 - some of his voters are quite unhappy with the new government in Kiev. They are struggling. They have conducted an armed struggle in order to defend their autonomy in eastern Ukraine. The Western media doesn’t believe that there is a civil war. They say that these are just Russian intruders, this is a Russian intrusion, so if we pressure Russia the war will end. But this is simply not true. This policy won’t work because by punishing Russia you can’t stop a civil war in another country.
 
I think NATO’s role is extremely bad in this situation. I think that Mr. Rasmussen made a very irresponsible statement yesterday when he said that Ukraine still had a chance to become a member of NATO.
 
This is simply irresponsible because Russia cannot allow a military bloc basically to get so close to its territory.
 
The majority of people in Ukraine are against NATO’s membership. This was the result of many, many polls conducted in that country for many years.
 
Q: Indeed. Now, Mr. Babich, looking at the way the situation is escalating, we’re seeing sanctions, counter-sanctions, and sanctions in response to those counter-sanctions. Do you think that the West and even NATO understand the implications of their actions or are they going ahead without any plan, without any foresight of what the situation could potentially become?
 
Babich: I’m afraid that what you just said is true. They are proceeding without any plan. We have examples in history when NATO and the West in general acted against their own interests. Let’s remember the blockade of Cuba, which continues until now for more than 50 years, does anyone believe that Fidel Castro could be or can be removed by that blockade? It’s still there. In the same way with stories of sanctions against Iran, which are absolutely counterproductive.
 
With Ukraine, the problem is that the West forced Ukraine to severe all its ties to Russia. Ukraine refused to buy Russian gas. Ukraine does not trade with Russia in industrial products. But what are Ukrainians going to eat and how are they going to be heated in the coming winter? Who will provide the gas? Who will provide the oil? The West is not giving a response to this question. The West is just pressuring Russia without any plan for Ukraine.
 
Q: Of course, the economic ramifications are going to be hard for the West as well. Right now we’re already seeing Italy sliding back into a recession. When we talk about the West, we do forget that the EU does have different interests when it comes to comparing it with the US. Do you think the EU is going to let the US pressure it into following the US’ policy plans and goals?
 
Babich: I’m afraid a lot of people in Russia and even in Iran are too optimistic about the EU. I think the EU is a bit more destructive and, sorry, stupid than the United States.
 
Let’s remember that the war against Yugoslavia was started by the EU powers. The war in Libya was started basically by France, which is a member of the EU.
 
The EU is capable of tremendous stupidities. We have seen it in Syria where the EU was insisting on even greater involvement on even greater intervention than the American President Obama was ready to accept.
 
I would not count on contradictions between the EU and the United States. There are contradictions between the terrible, terrible European commission and leaders of individual European countries who are concerned about their countries and who want to get or keep good economic relations with Russia, with Iran and other countries.
 
My hope is that individual governments inside the EU will somehow steer it towards a wiser course. The leadership of the EU is just terrible.