MOSCOW, April 14 (RIA Novosti), Daria Chernyshova – The authorities in Kiev are not willing to consider federalism as an option for the future of Ukraine, believes Nicolai Petro, a professor of comparative and international politics at the University of Rhode Island.
“Presently, the current Ukrainian government in Kiev is not willing to consider federalism, even as a subject for negotiation, in any new constitution,” Petro told RIA Novosti. “On the other hand, many Ukrainian federalists rallying in the East say they are willing to secede to Russia if their demands are not met,” he added.
Protests supporting federalism have swept the country’s eastern and southeastern regions in recent weeks. In the city of Slaviansk, special forces loyal to the regime in Kiev and fighters from the radical Right Sector movement launched an operation Sunday to suppress protesters, resulting in at least three deaths. Ukraine’s acting President Oleksandr Turchynov called the raid against demonstrators an “anti-terror operation.”
“Problems with national unity typically arise when a country with strong regional identities pretends that that they are homogeneous,” Nicolai Petro said. “Moreover, as we see from the separatist movements in the United Kingdom, Spain and northern Italy, this issue can arise even after decades of prosperity and national unity,” he added.
The professor also noted that federalism “is nothing more than a compact between regions and the central government, enshrined in the constitution.” Some types of federalism are very loose, while other types are more highly regulated, Petro added, stressing that while federalism is attractive, each country is different.
“While federalism is not a panacea for all problems, it has the advantage of shifting the political discourse for the solutions of many problems from the center to the regions,” Petro told RIA Novosti.
“That way, people at the local level feel more involved in the political process, which in turn contributes to a more positive relationship to the country as a whole,” he said. The expert concluded that to avoid the conflict in Ukraine “both positions need to become much closer.”
Rallies in support of federalization have been rocking the country since last month, with activists in Donetsk, Luhansk and Kharkiv occupying regional government buildings to put pressure on the country’s coup-imposed regime.
Russian UN envoy Vitaly Churkin called on the international community Monday to demand that Ukrainian authorities halt violent moves in the crisis-hit country that could lead to civil war.
