MOSCOW, April 16 (RIA Novosti) – Russia might reach a compromise with the US on Ukraine, but will never make concessions, Leonid Reshetnikov, head of the Russian Institute of Strategic Research, said in an interview with RIA Novosti Wednesday.
“The American elite has a famous principle: 'Carthage must be destroyed.' It is a rule of American politics nowadays, concessions to the US is a fallacious pattern, which will lead to negative consequences,” said Reshetnikov, who is a retired lieutenant general of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service.
According to the lieutenant general, in the case of the Ukrainian crisis, a compromise between Russia and the US is possible, “but not concessions.”
“The US understands and respects the compelling and firm stand that our president has taken,” he added.
Last month, the US and EU imposed targeted sanctions against some Russian officials in response to the country’s reunification with Crimea, a former region of Ukraine, which held a referendum in which over 96 percent of voters supported integration into the Russian Federation, due to fears caused by the nationalistic rhetoric from the new leadership in Kiev.
Moscow insists the referendum was fully compliant with international law and has reiterated its obligation to protect the Russian-speaking population of the peninsula.
On Tuesday, the US threatened Moscow with tougher sanctions ahead of high-stakes talks on the Ukraine crisis in Geneva. The Obama administration accuses Russia of destabilizing the situation in southeastern regions of Ukraine, where pro-federalization protests have been spreading since March.
On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke to Obama, urging him to do everything possible to prevent bloodshed in southeastern Ukraine, where a Kiev-authorized military operation led to violent clashes with pro-federalization activists.
Putin also told Obama that the US position on Russia’s role in the Ukrainian crisis is a result of misinformation.
