Press Release, 31.05.2017

The first video to the 20th anniversary of “friendship” between Russia and Ukraine has been released today.

Grigory Yavlinsky, candidate to the post of Russian President, will talk about the ways to solve the problem of Crimea and relations between Russia and Ukraine in a special online project “Is Crimea Ours?” on our YouTube channel.

The first video of the project has been published today, on the day of the 20th anniversary of the signing of the treaty on friendship and cooperation between Russia and Ukraine. Grigory Yavlinsky recalls that in this document Russia, represented by then President Boris Yeltsin, recognised the state border of Ukraine and that Crimea belonged to Ukraine. Later, in 2000, President Vladimir Putin also signed the corresponding bilateral documents. In 2008, Putin admitted that Russia has no territorial claims to Ukraine, Grigory Yavlinsky says.

The issue Crimea is “a question whether Russia will be trusted in the international affairs, as well as in the internal, by the way,” Yavlinsky stresses. He believes that “a return to this issue is a sign of political force, it is a sign of the ability to correct errors”. “Even after all that has happened, it is necessary to seek and find ways to return to peace, first and foremost, with Ukraine,” Yavlinsky stressed.

According to Yavlinsky, “all countries in the world make mistakes. If one looks at the list of errors made by the United States … It is infinite. There are errors of such a tragic scale, for which states ask for forgiveness for decades. It is necessary find a way to solve this problem without humiliating anyone, without depriving anyone of the opportunity to preserve the dignity.”

Further issues of the project “Is Crimea Ours?” will be devoted to Grigory Yavlinsky’s proposals on the solution of the problem of Crimea and the relations between Russia and Ukraine. Subscribe to our channel!