MOSCOW, September 21. /TASS/. The Ukrainian crisis cannot be resolved without Russia’s participation, as its terms directly affect the country’s security, Alexey Pushkov, chairman of the Federation Council’s Commission on Information Policy, said in response to a statement by Finnish President Alexander Stubb.
"If Russia had no say, [US President Donald] Trump would not have met with [Russian leader Vladimir] Putin in Alaska. It is clear to the whole world that without Russia’s consent, no settlement of the Ukrainian crisis is possible, since the terms of the resolution directly affect our security. This is clear to everyone, except, apparently, Stubb," Pushkov wrote on his Telegram channel.
He noted that European politicians have been trying unsuccessfully for three and a half years to impose unacceptable conditions on Moscow. "As Trump said back in the spring to Europeans who were upset that the US was keeping them out of negotiations with Russia: ‘They had as much as three years to negotiate,’ meaning that they had three years, but held no talks. Trump thus made it clear that Europe does not want, is not capable of, and cannot achieve a settlement. So Stubb should take his words back," Pushkov concluded.
Earlier, Stubb told The Guardian that Moscow should have no impact on what security guarantees Ukraine receives. "It’s not an issue will Russia agree or not. Of course, they won’t, but that’s not the point," Stubb said. He did not specify whether he thought a truce was possible, after which these hypothetical guarantees would come into effect, with Russia excluded from the discussion.