Russia does not intend to occupy the entire territory of Ukraine, but pursues political goals to "destabilize Ukraine, influence Kyiv's policy and try to drive a wedge between Ukraine and the West," the US special representative for Ukraine Kurt Volker said an interview with Deutsche Welle released on Wednesday, 24 January.
In Volker's opinion the situation in Donbas is "certainly not a civil war." Russian-speaking people live in different regions of Ukraine without any conflicts and discrimination. The conflict affected only one region.
"Why? Because it started as a hybrid war, a small-scale invasion of Russia to Ukraine," US special envoy said.
In his opinion, "Russia hoped to bring a more friendly government to power in Kyiv to keep Ukraine in its sphere of influence," but the effect turned out to be quite opposite.
"It all ended in tragedy, as so many people are affected by this conflict. More than ten thousand people have been killed and more than a million people have been displaced, but Russia has not achieved its goals in Ukraine," said the American official.
Kurt Volker arrived in Ukraine on Tuesday, 23 January. He discussed the situation in Donbas with President Petro Poroshenko, head of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Viktor Muzhenko and the Minister for Temporary Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced Persons, Vadym Chernysh.
On Wednesday, January 24, Volker discussed the bill on the reintegration of Donbas with the Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine, Oleksandr Turchynov.