I’m not surprised that Russia is raising concerns about [lethal defense weaponry]. They had an opportunity to move into Ukraine and take territory and annex Crimea without really much opposition. So obviously they’re going to raise concerns about Ukraine being better able to defend itself. Having been invaded and part of its territory taken it’s quite reasonable for Ukrainians to want to be better able to defend themselves.
I’m not surprised that Russia is raising concerns about it. I think Russia was hoping that it would be able to keep Ukraine in its orbit as part of the Russian sphere of influence, the greater Russian identity. The reality is that their invasion and occupation has created a more nationalist and a more unified and more pro-Western Ukraine. So it hasn’t really done much for Russian interests.
In fact, it’s probably hurt them. And that’s the reality, that it’s likely to continue to get worse. Clearly it’s possible this could be dug in by Russia or it could become another frozen conflict. I don’t think anybody wants that. I think we should be working to come up with a way to actually resolve it, to see Ukraine get its territory back and to see that the safety and security of all Ukrainian citizens is preserved.
– Kurt Volker, U.S. special representative for Ukraine negotiations, in an interview with Deutsche Welle on August 29.
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