Who could be behind “plan Artemenko” for Crimea and Donbas

Not had time to subside passion at the Munich security conference, where talked a lot about the politics of the new US administration towards Russia, and the resignation of the trump adviser for homeland security Mike Flynn after the publication of his contacts with Russian diplomats, as The New York Times added fuel to the fire. In the newspaper there was article about the new concept of “world” between Ukraine and Russia. The authorship of this plan the edition attributed to the MP from the faction “Radical party” Andrey Artemenko. Developments that include the phased removal of Russia from the sanctions, the withdrawal of Russian troops from the Donbas and conduct of the referendum and the surrender of the Crimea is leased by Russia in 50-100 years he gave Mike Flynn a week before the resignation of the American Advisor through the close to Trump people. In Ukraine the article made a lot of noise. MPs say Artemenko should incur criminal liability, the radicals are urging him to hand over the mandate. To assume that Artemenko was able to go it alone is naive. The Deputy himself says that there are other parliamentarians of the number of individual who share his ideas, though support for the plan while nobody made. But there has been speculation about the relationship Artemenko with Tymoshenko, he is also credited with work on Russia.

Meanwhile, according to “Today”, the Ukrainian government has prepared a plan for the restoration of sovereignty, the White house informed and soon it will be presented to the public.

Today, the conciliation Council nachalsa with a showdown, who is more a patriot of Ukraine. MPs have attacked the “radicals” for an article in The New York Times, which described the concept of peace between Ukraine and Russia and the removal of sanctions against Moscow by the people’s Deputy from RP Andrey Artemenko. Supposedly, according to the publication, its “peace initiative,” the Deputy handed Mike Flynn via businessman Felix Sater who had business dealings with trump, and through counsel to trump, Michael Cohen, who is married to a Ukrainian. In early February, Cohen left the package with the “plan Artemenko” in the office of Flynn. However, the latter did not have time to read it, because at the request of the President was forced to resign.

“And Artemenko said that it has received approval of its plans from the top aides of Putin,” writes The New York Times. Ambassador of Ukraine to the United States Valeriy Chaly in comments the newspaper said that Artemenko was not authorized to represent alternative plans for a peaceful settlement on behalf of the state. The possibility of a referendum on the transfer of Crimea to rent, he called gross violation of the Constitution of Ukraine.

“Do not tell me, without the help of a Russian, he would never have done, including financial. The Kremlin has long played the game – “to offer Trump the best plan for Ukraine” behind Ukraine itself. Only now they are doing it supposedly by the hands of Ukrainians”

Moreover, according to the NYT, along with the peace plan Artemenko gave Flynn and “the dirt on Poroshenko.” Sources “” in the Ukrainian dipkrugah doubt that the Deputy Artemenko could he write, and especially to pass close to Trump his plan. “Do not tell me, without the help of a Russian, he would never have done, including financial. The Kremlin has long played the game – “to offer Trump the best plan for Ukraine” behind Ukraine itself. Only now they are doing it supposedly by the hands of Ukrainians from Pro-European and Pro-democratic parties” – said the source “Today.”

Deputies of fraction “Radical party” opinions were divided. Some believe that the appearance of the article in The New York Times plan Artemenko is a personal vendetta of the head of “Batkivshchyna” in the words of Lyashko, who called Yulia Tymoshenko “mothballs Moscow cuckoo”.

The same Artemenko at the time was the head of the BYUT faction in the Kyiv city Council (in 2006 – Ed.). Tymoshenko could simply outbid Artemenko and use it in order to revenge,” – said the “Today” one of the deputies from the Radical party.

Notably, Artemenko said that with the “dirt on Poroshenko,” referred to in the NYT, he helped Valentin Nalyvaychenko, which Tymoshenko joined the political platform.

However, another MP from RP unofficially told “Today” that Artemenko can use the Russians to discredit the Ukrainian Patriotic Pro-European forces before the new American Administration.

“The Russians are now trying to play the lead in proposing their plan to end the war in the Donbass. They imagine it so that either we solve it now or never, because in the continuation of the sanctions for another couple of years no one is interested”

“There still is a global game, to lower the position of our Patriotic Pro-European forces to throw one of the strongholds, saying, see, even Patriotic Ukrainian politicians propose such plans. Artemenko first presented it to the assistant to the Russian President… So-called “plan Artemenko” the Kremlin wants to show the States that Poroshenko does not control the Parliament, which will never accept the amendments to the Constitution (second reading by 300 votes, which will give special status to the Donbas, as recorded in the Minsk agreements – Ed.). That is, the Russians are now trying to play the lead in proposing their plan to end the war in the Donbass. They imagine it so that either we solve it now or never, because in the continuation of the sanctions for another couple of years no one is interested. The Crimea is out of the question, for the Kremlin it out,” – said another Deputy from “Radical party”.

Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine John Herbst, who was also cited by the NYT, in an interview with “Today” said that the so-called “plan Artemenko” more into the hands of Moscow. “A discreet but ambitious representative Happy mister Artemenko has come up with a plan for peace between Russia and Ukraine on terms more favorable to Moscow than the current Minsk agreements. Somehow, he managed to establish contacts with people close to President Trump, who agreed to look at the plan. At the same time, these people close to the President was also interested in the claims of Mr. Artemenko is that he has evidence of the involvement of President Poroshenko to corruption,” – said Herbst.

According to him, the saddest thing about this story is that it feeds the perception that President trump “soft” to the aggression of the Kremlin and aims to give President Putin a gift in the form of easing sanctions. “Fortunately, the President trump picked a great officials for national security such as secretaries of defence Mattis and the Director of the CIA Mike Pompeo. I hope he listens to them and is pursuing a realistic policy that protects American interests, including Ukraine, against the aggression of the Kremlin”, – concluded the Ambassador.

Professor of political science at Rutgers University in Newark (new Jersey) Alexander Motyl in an interview with “Today” suggests a connection Artemenko with the Kremlin – this is indicated by the mention of “dirt on Poroshenko.” “Maybe there is nothing new that has not appeared in previous leaks. At the same time, his “plan” is not like a full-fledged plan. According to the NY Times: “basically, his plan calls for the withdrawal of all Russian troops from Eastern Ukraine. Ukrainian voters will decide in a referendum of whether Crimea, a Ukrainian territory annexed by Russia in 2014, to be leased to Russia for 50 or 100 years.” Russia will not lead (the troops from the Donbas – Ed.) and will never agree to a referendum in the Crimea. Now it’s more like an adventure than something else,” says Motyl.

According to political analyst Vladimir Fesenko, very sorry that The New York Times publishes this kind of message referring to the “fringe, who have no influence and do not represent anyone, including the “Radical party”. “The New York Times – a publication close to the “Democratic party”. Is the range of media that trump considers enemies of the people, I quote him. Now we have a fashion special relationship with trump. Are the PR game who has any relationship with trump, some politicians play to the best of their ability in improving its image, attracting attention to themselves through this kind of publication. They say, look, I met with someone from the team of trump, or, I sent in my peace proposals. It’s fashion, bad fashion, but this competition now joined a stream of politicians, so they went to the Prayer Breakfast (with trump in Washington – Ed.). And all these statements say from Saakashvili to Onishchenko, saying that they have a special relationship with trump. Although no special relationship except for sharing a photo… And now all speculate on this,” – says Volodymyr Fesenko.

“Some politicians play to the best of their ability in improving its image, attracting attention to themselves through this kind of publication. They say, look, I met with someone from the team of trump, or, I sent in my peace proposals. It is a bad fashion”

According to him, the West still pecking at the bait mythology of some secret negotiations and secret peace plans. “There is a long time. I’m about the different secret plans, secret secret protocols, even from diplomats hear that, in addition to “Minsk,” there are some secret protocols. And now with the advent of the tramp here is all conspiracy theories got new momentum,” concluded Fesenko.

But from the Ukrainian government, according to sources “Today” have something to offer the new American Administration. After the first telephone conversation of Petro Poroshenko with Donald trump, the Ukrainian government began to develop the idea of how to upgrade Minsk, the implementation of which has stalled. Informed about this “Today” said sources in the Cabinet. On the new plan as some kind of “Minsk-3” and said interior Minister Arsen Avakov at a recent meeting with bloggers.

“Was voiced (say, for the first time in the country) a whole new plan of de-occupation of Donbass (the alleged Minsk-3), which the country’s leaders are now defending from the Europeans – instead of the defunct Minsk-2”, – wrote in Facebook blogger Karl Volokh.

However, according to sources “Today” in BPP, “Minsk-3” Ukraine’s proposals to name hardly possible. It is rather quality updates and additions to the “Minsk-2”, which should form the outline of the Road map – a phased plan of implementation “of the Minsk agreements”. It is known, four months of unsuccessfully trying to develop the foreign Ministers “channel four”. But everything depends on the position of the Kremlin, which has its own version of the Road map. But, after the proposals of the Ukrainian side, which already knows the White House, the process can move forward.

As for Andrei Artemenko, the head of fraction “Radical party” Oleg Lyashko, he needs to lay down the mandate. “He must not be a member of fraction “Radical party”. What happened, is to discredit Ukraine, is to discredit our team. It’s like Savchenko №2. That’s why Andrey Artemenko, if he has a sense of dignity, responsibility, if he is willing to defend their positions and not hold on to the mandate, should it immediately be put down… I demand Artemenko to lay down the mandate. His motives don’t interest me,” – said Lyashko.

The sources of the “Radical party” told “Today” that today the faction at its meeting intends to exclude Andrey Artemenko. Also in the faction I hope that after this Artemenko will hand over the mandate. The position of the “radicals” under the dome shared by the NF. “He should bear criminal liability for an encroachment on territorial integrity. Crimea is Ukrainian territory, and any sales and delivery of the lease cannot be considered. I fully share the position of Oleg Lyashko that Artemenko should hand over the mandate”, – said today after the conciliation Council in Parliament head of the faction “people’s front” Maxim Bourbaki.

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