VM: — Now, we have come to the US – Russia relations and US – EU relations. What do you think, how Trump policy will change the US – Russian and US – EU relations?
MR: — I think, in some respect, in terms of Russia relations, Trump’s arrival might help. Let me put forward the scenario, but just as an illustration, I’m sorry to come back to Ukraine, but it’s relevant, it’s the best example.
VM: — As an illustration…
MR: — Russia, I suspect, would like to resolve this crisis in its relationship with the rest of the world. It’s not helping Russia, that crisis and the sanctions, political difficulties, and these people in the West would also like to see progress. When you have problems of that kind, they require compromises; they require both sides to make important concessions. In the case of Ukraine, my assumption is of what Russia would most like to see is Ukraine that is not in NATO, and they would like to see sanctions withdrawn, and they would like to see the situation, where they could, because of the cultural and social and historic links between Russia and Ukraine, have a positive relationship with the Ukraine government. From the West’s point of view, from the Ukraine’s point of view, they want to see an end to the destabilization of Ukraine, the re-integration of the Donbas into Ukraine so that its borders are not in dispute, an end all this nonsense about Novorossiya, because it’s still there in the background as an aspiration some have. Crimea is a very difficult problem. So that has to be in some way accommodated in a different way.
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