Alexei Alexandrov says failure to seek diplomatic solution for Donbas is an error on all sides
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy meets service members near the line of separation from Russian-backed rebels in the Donetsk region in December, before the Russian invasion. Picture: UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL SERVICE/REUTERS
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Russia attacked Ukraine in February in part to protect the separatist territory from Kyiv, though Western states say that is a pretext for an unprovoked land grab. Alexandrov said Moscow has, over many years, failed to grasp how to deal with Ukraine, whose rulers he said are set on crushing the identity of the Russian-speaking community in eastern Ukraine. Kyiv and its allies deny the accusation.
In the interview, Alexandrov said once the active phase of the conflict in Ukraine is over, the long-term outlook for Donbas is unclear. He said he doubts Russia has the resources to bring the whole of Ukraine under its control.
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