Bryza: Efforts of Hollande and Merkel would be in vain as long as Putin doesn't believe that the West is serious

Baku. February 12. REPORT.AZ/ "I guess that the invasion of Russia in Ukraine, as well as the seizure of Crimea has increased regional tensions in all sensitive areas of the Russian periphery. By creating a new frozen conflict in Ukraine, it seems that Russia is not able to help in resolving other conflicts, in particular, Nagorno-Karabakh conflict". 

The former co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, former US ambassador to Azerbaijan, an expert who now works in the Estonian International Center of defense and security Matthew Bryza stated this to Report. 

Speaking about the Ukrainian crisis, Bryza stressed that the efforts of French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel would be in vain as long as Russian President Vladimir Putin does not believe that the West is serious to make Russia bear responsibility for invasion and occupation of Ukrainian territory, "The demonstration of such seriousness require more sanctions of the European Union and the United States against Russia; furthermore, NATO also has to comply the agreed military deployment of troops in the territory of the Baltic countries, Poland, Bulgaria and Romania. The transatlantic community should also consider the extension of the concept of collective security, which would include the main countries of the Eastern Partnership, such as Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Georgia. However, the negotiations, while Putin supports separatists and Russian troops to carry out their hybrid war against Ukraine, only strengthens militaristic adventurism of Moscow". 

Responding to a question of what measures may be proposed in order to stop Russia from supporting militants in eastern Ukraine, Bryza said that the guarantees for Putin may be if the rights of the Russian-speaking population of Ukraine are respected and Donbass receives autonomy within a unified Ukraine and that the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU does not break the economic ties with Russia and the EAEC: "Also, one of such guarantees may be that NATO will not deploy troops in Ukraine. However, the most important way to achieve peace in Ukraine is if President Putin understands that the price of the ongoing war against a Russian neighbor will increase and become unbearable".