WASHINGTON, September 5. /TASS/. European countries that seek to prolong the conflict in Ukraine to harm Russia will only weaken themselves economically and politically, former US House of Representatives member Dennis Kucinich said in a conversation with a TASS correspondent.
"I'm fully aware that there are countries in Europe that support the continuation of the war in Ukraine, and that have taken the side of NATO, which has been very aggressive towards Russia," said Kucinich, who represented the US state of Ohio in the lower house of Congress from 1997 to 2013.
"It's important for Europe to see that the tide is changing," the former Democratic lawmaker noted, commenting in particular on statements by several European countries expressing their dissatisfaction with Russia's participation in G20 meetings in the United States.
As Kucinich emphasized, "no amount of European support for the war will change the outcome."
"It only diminishes the economic and political positions of the countries in Europe that support the war in Ukraine against Russia," added the former lawmaker, who ran for president in the United States in 2004 and 2008 and also served as mayor of Cleveland, Ohio.
According to Kucinich, the goal should be to resolve the conflict in which residents of Russia and Ukraine "can return to the friendship they once had and find a way to coexist peacefully."
"The United States can be helpful in resolving this. I think that's recognized in Russia," added the former lawmaker, who co-founded the Congressional Russia Caucus.