The Ukrainian government that will be assembled following parliamentary elections Sunday will have to deal with a country that is facing “formidable economic difficulties” and should make peace not only with the West, but most importantly with Russia, British politician Lord Donald Anderson told RIA Novosti on Tuesday.
“The new government will have to make peace of course with the West, but particularly with their giant neighbor Russia,” Anderson said. “I would hope that the new government will not be provocative in terms of their military and security policy. Particularly, in regard to make clear they have no intention of seeking to join NATO.”
Earlier today, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the West is continuing the expansion of NATO, giving security guarantees only to its members instead of granting OSCE the right to provide security for everyone.
Anderson noted that while Ukraine should not seek NATO membership, “It is not a matter for Russia to worry about the new government seeking to have a closer relationship with the European Union, because much of their trade will be there and they will not be drawn into a new economic grouping with Russia, although they will have to come to arrangements with it.”
On Sunday, Ukraine held early parliamentary elections that saw a 52.42 percent turnout, according to the country’s Central Election Commission. With over 80 percent of ballots counted, Yatsenyuk’s People’s Front has garnered 22 percent of votes and Poroshenko’s party is close behind with 21.6 percent.
Another four Ukrainian parties to have successfully passed the election threshold are Samopomich (Self-Help), headed by Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovy with 10.98 percent of votes, Opposition Bloc with 9.48 percent, Oleh Lyashko’s nationalist Radical Party with 7.46 percent and Batkivshchyna (Fatherland), led by former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko with 5.69 percent.
