11 September 2014, 08:00
If we fail to cleanse Donbas in a peaceful way, then there is no other alternative but to impose the state of emergency, once again mobilize all country’s resources and cleanse it from invaders. Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Oleksandr Turchynov said this in an interview with “Fokus” magazine, released on Thursday.
Responding to questions, Oleksandr Turchynov noted that he trusts “neither Putin, nor Russian soldiery.” “I am skeptical regarding their willingness to peacefully clear out of Ukraine. I think they will do everything possible to disrupt peace talks and continue aggression against Ukraine,” he said.
Chairperson of the Parliament stressed that presence of Russian troops in Donbas and their invasion of the territory of an independent state has no legal excuses. He characterized this fact as an open aggression. “Any pace of developments shall stipulate immediate withdrawal of all military subdivisions and military equipment of the armed forces of the Russian Federation from the Ukrainian territory, as well as total disarmament of bandit and terrorist groups. Only in that case peace talks make sense,” he stressed.
Responding to the question on how Ukraine shall act in case Russians do not withdraw their troops from the Ukrainian territory even on terms of truce, Oleksandr Turchynov said that our country should regroup and reinforce the Armed Forces, change tactics for liberating the cities of Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts from Russian troops and establish active defensive line along the border with the Russian Federation. “I hope that the peace format will be used for the protection and liberation Ukraine,” he said.
Thereat, Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada denied the possibility of announcing the captured regions of Donbas as an occupied territory. “We should better liberate the territory and not make announcements. Our task lies in preventing Donbas’ transformation into the zone of a frozen conflict. That is why I exclude the format under which Ukraine will agree that Russia controls part of the territories of Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts,” he claimed.
“If peaceful way to cleanse Donbas will yield no result, there is no other alternative but to impose the state of emergency, mobilize all country’s resources and cleanse it from invaders,” noted Oleksandr Turchynov. “I am convinced that if Russian aggression does not stop, we will be able to observe such sanctions on the part of the West that will lead to economic collapse of the Russian Federation,” he added.
Chairman of the Parliament reminded also that the possibility of imposing the state of emergency is provided by the Constitution. “If peaceful way will yield no result, there is no other alternative but to impose the state of emergency and mobilize all country’s resources,” he said
Answering the question whether there are enough votes in the Parliament to impose the state of emergency, Oleksandr Turchynov reminded that “only the President can bring this issue up for discussion by the NDSC, after which he shall sign the decree on imposing the state of emergency, and then this decree should be upheld by the majority of parliamentary votes.” “If the President decides to refer such a decree, the Parliament will always uphold it,” he thinks.
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