Ukraine aid to exacerbate US-Russia tension: Analyst

Press TV has interviewed Christopher Walker, ex-Moscow correspondent for The Times in London, about the United States pledging hundreds of millions in security assistance to Ukraine.

The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: First of all, it is obviously concerning when the US gives so much aid to Ukraine about what it will translate into when it comes to the situation in Eastern Ukraine and tensions with Russia?

Walker: Well I think they are bound to increase. As your report said, this is going to considerably exacerbate tension between Washington and Moscow just at the time when there is an effort to get some sort of cooperation between them in Syria and in battle together against ISIS, a force for the Islamic State so-called, and it is no doubt at all that the timing of this is deliberate although there has been some cover saying that the reason it is being done now is because Kiev has taken action to sack a senior judicial official who would not pursue corruption allegations. As of course that government in Kiev is well-known to be deeply corrupt and there is no certainty where the money would exactly go once it arrives.

Press TV: Now speaking of the tensions with Moscow, let’s not forget that the US-Moscow relations have also taken a hit specifically because of the NATO’s eastward expansion. Now when you put this all into context, the US understands that its meddling with Ukraine is going to increase the hostilities, increase the tensions. Why is the US willing to risk stability in Eastern Europe?    

Walker: It seems there is no other answer than this is a deliberate attempt to show US strength and hostility really towards Moscow. It is quite certain what that grant of 330 million would result as in the region and I see Ukraine, the tensions there have been a little bit on the back-burner certainly news-wise in the West recently but this could bring them back if of course it encourages various problems on the ground in Ukraine which we tend to forget about.

Press TV: And so far we have not seen Russia respond per se to these deliberate acts of increasing tensions, so to speak. Now we have seen sanctions and counter-sanctions. However, will there be a point where Russia puts its foot down?

Walker: I think there will. It may just be timing that they have not reacted... we can read into the timing of any reaction sort of willingness to acknowledge that this is okay and it will indeed be the strength and direction of that reaction that helps us judge the full severity of this move which is of course taken by the US vice president not Barack Obama himself and so it might be seen the second division playing but really this is the front-line of US policy in that area.

Press TV: And before I let you go, where is the Western Europe, so to speak, when it comes to this? What about powerhouses like Germany? Why isn’t more being done by them to placate the situation? 

Walker: I think there is one obvious answer to that. You can probably see on your TV screens that totally swamped by the problem of refugees pouring into Europe from the Middle East particularly Syria, Iraq but also North Africa, the boats landing, people drowning, camps being set up, so really I think Ukraine is right on the outside of their thoughts at the moment.

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