In an exclusive interview with Review Ukraine Brussels, Polish MEP Witold Waszczykowski (European Conservatives and Reformists), head of the delegation to the EU-Ukraine Parliamentary Association Committee, shared his views on Nord Stream 2, sanctions against Russians and the war on Donbas and the Crimea.
Is it possible to stop the Nord Stream-2 project?
“The only way to stop the project completely is to put pressure on Germany, which is the most important country involved in this project. Of course, we do not have the tools to put pressure on Russia. We tried to use the United States, so to speak, as a country that can put pressure on Germany, “said the MEP.
According to Waszczykowski, the Union 90 / Greens is the only German political force that opposes Nord Stream-2 and Russia’s greater influence in Europe.
How to start a war in Donbas?
“The Normandy format and the Minsk peace process are ineffective. Therefore, in my opinion, we should think about the format, which is sometimes called Geneva and which involves Americans. If we look at the history of the 20th century in Europe, we could not resolve any conflict without the Americans: the First and Second World Wars, the crisis and the wars in the Balkans. We have been able to resolve these conflicts only with the help and assistance of the United States. We see how things are going without their participation, for example, in Moldova and Transnistria, in the Crimea and Donbas, ”said the Polish politician.
In addition, Waszczykowski clarified that in the near future there is no chance for a more active role of the United States in resolving the Russian-Ukrainian war, as I am not very optimistic about this issue, because it is Western Europe, especially Germany and France, blocking access to the United States to a new formula, to a new format.
“First of all, Ukraine must be stronger and able to defend itself. Of course, the state will not be able to win the military conflict with Russia. But Ukraine must be strong enough to prevent the conflict from escalating. Because the Russians may not have ambitions to occupy all of Ukraine, but they may intend to fragment Ukraine further and seize some other parts of the country – for example, Mariupol to cut off Ukraine from the Sea of Azov, or perhaps even Odesa to cut off Ukraine from the Black Sea. Therefore, Ukraine must be ready to defend the rest of the territory. But, on the other hand, we must also put pressure on Europeans and Americans to create a real, viable and effective format for engaging with Russia. We also need to strengthen sanctions against Russia, ”the MEP said.
According to Waszczykowski, it is necessary to impose sanctions on the general population of Russia, namely celebrities, athletes, cultural figures, businessmen. If we cut off “them from Western markets, institutions, games, theaters, movies, football matches in our territory, they will know the real price of war.”