Continuing the war against Ukraine would be economically disadvantageous for Russia, Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories Oleksiy Reznikov believes.
"I've said this many times: for the Russian Federation, continuing this hybrid war against Ukraine is disadvantageous and non-pragmatic. And this is the main thing. And I believe that in order to find a pragmatic way out, they will be ready to end this hybrid war," Reznikov has told RFE/RL.
Read alsoOutdated: Ukraine delegation chief says Minsk deal should be reviewedAccording to the Ukrainian official, the pragmatic lack of justification for continued aggression could become a lever over the Kremlin, including in negotiations on the release of held persons.
"For them, the maneuver they made in 2014 is becoming harmful, not beneficial. They need to support about 3-3.5 million people in the occupied Donbas, provide them with pensions, budgetary payments, raise the issue of maintaining order. Now, economy-wise, they can no longer cope today, they can't provide enough jobs. Even in clinics, they cannot provide normal health care for people in the time of a pandemic," Reznikov stressed.
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