MOSCOW, February 13. /TASS/. Moscow expects Kiev to recover from "the orange virus" and is open to dialogue and cooperation with sober-minded Ukrainian politicians, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, Grigory Karasin, said on Monday.
"Indeed, on February 14, 1992, 25 years ago, Russia and Ukraine established diplomatic relations. However, unfortunately, one cannot expect solemn celebrations and joint events in the current circumstances," the Russian Foreign Ministry quotes him as saying.
"Russia proceeds from the assumption that Kiev will ultimately recover from ‘the orange virus’ and that Russophobic hysteria will give way to pragmatism and commitment to establishing constructive cooperation," he emphasized. "We believe that Ukraine will eventually turn into a prosperous, predictable and stable country living in peace and harmony with its neighbors. Moscow is open to dialogue and cooperation with sane Ukrainian politicians and is ready to restore close mutually beneficial ties with the fraternal people."
"During this period, there have been ups and downs in our relations, but, in general, they developed steadily, and until recently, there was a very positive dynamics," he noted. Karasin added that the Russian-Ukrainian top-level and high-level political dialogue was frank and confidential, while trade, economic and humanitarian ties between the two countries developed actively.
"However, after the so-called Euromaidan and subsequent coup in Kiev in the spring of 2014, the new Ukrainian leaders often encouraged by outside forces, cast prudence to the winds with their unbridled Russophobia, Karasin noted. "They destroyed everything positive that had been meticulously created by our two peoples not only in previous years, but for centuries as well," he added. "The current regime in Kiev does not hesitate to cut all bonds that keep our countries and peoples together without taking into account its own citizens’ opinion, without the slightest reverence for our common history, cultural and spiritual values."
The Ukrainian leaders target every single reminder of Russia - language, education, cultural traditions, the common history, trade and industry, Karasin emphasized. "Kiev terminates bilateral agreements, severing relations between cities and regions, imposing bans on using the Russian language, spreading Russian-language films, books, media outlets, and terminating any joint projects even to the detriment of its own interests." "In these circumstances, one can hardly expect fruitful cooperation," he added.