GORKI, January 27. /TASS/: The people of Ukraine will eventually elect a national leadership that will fix the relations with Russia and will recognize a number of geopolitical realities, including Crimea, Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said in an interview Thursday.
"The Ukrainians are people who are very close to us and very pragmatic. And, I believe, they will get enough of this mess eventually, and they will have to elect a leadership that will carry out — no, not a pro-Russian policy, of course, but a pro-Ukrainian one. But it will be a policy aimed at normal economic relations with Russia, at the achievement of a reasonable balance on a wide array of issues, at the recognition of geopolitical realities, including Crimea, and a wide array of other issues," he said.
According to Medvedev, "there is no point in negotiations with the current leadership due to known reasons: its anti-Russian course, the decision they make, including, for example, the decision on the so-called indigenous peoples or the language, and the decision they do not implement, such as the Minsk Agreements, for example."
"But, first, there is always hope for the best, and second, the political life works this way: a pendulum will swing back and forth regardless," he added.
The official expressed his certainty that a change of leadership will happen in Ukraine eventually, "because it was never the case in the world for only no force to dominate, and, in 2014, nationalist forces came to power [in Ukraine] due to known reasons."
"Previously, these radical nationalists, the ‘true Ukrainians,’ comprised about 5-10% of the population, mostly in the Western regions. But, at some point from the known events, they imposed their ideology on the entire country, which has never shared such sentiments. And, I believe, at some point, they will have enough of this, and some reasonable middle trend towards the development of relations with Russia and simply for a reasonable policy will prevail. Otherwise, it is a dead-end," Medvedev concluded.
Speaking about the current President of Ukraine, Medvedev noted that Zelensky did not disappoint him.
"He did not disappoint me in any way. I believe he does exactly what a man with his level of readiness, with his level of fitness for the office must do. And, unfortunately for himself, probably, this eventually leads to the destruction of Ukraine itself," Medvedev added.
