KIEV, January 11. /TASS/. Ukraine risks facing the adverse consequences of strategic stability talks between Russia and the United States because a boundary line between spheres of influence will run through its territory, Director of Ukraine’s Center for Research on Civil Society Problems Vitaly Kulik said.
"The possibility of strategic stability talks between Washington and Moscow is an unpleasant sign," he told Ukraine’s Glavred news outlet, commenting on the consequences that Kiev might face following the talks.
Kulik believes that Ukraine may suffer damage from the division of spheres of influence. "As far as the history of international relations goes, strategic stability discussions mean that the parties agree on certain patterns of behavior, outlining their spheres of influence. That said, it’s not just about ensuring the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and cooperation in the fight against cyber terrorism, manmade disasters, it’s first and foremost a question of zones where the parties have special interests, as well as of zones where their interests collide or overlap so the parties agree on refraining from using certain levers. Strategic deterrence has nothing to do with the subjectivity of the territory that is used as a stage for making compromises. So it will not benefit Ukraine because it will be the main stage for events," the expert explained.
At the same time, Kulik was confident that things were going well for Ukraine at the moment as the United States kept stressing that NATO’s eastward expansion was based on the decisions of nations that sought membership and not on Russia’s. The analyst admitted, however, that Russia had leverages over the US. "This stems from Democrats’ unwillingness to bear responsibility for Eastern Europe and Ukraine, their disappointment in Ukraine’s political leaders as rather toxic persons who aren’t worth dealing with, as well as from issues related to global challenges, namely the green transition, where Russia’s position is important for the US, and the European Union’s energy policy among other things," Kulik emphasized.