Radar Armenia‘s interlocutor is international affairs expert Shahan Gandaharian.
– At the beginning of last week, the meeting between the Russian Foreign Minister and the US Secretary of State took place, and the participants expressed a positive attitude towards establishing peace in Ukraine. The possibility of organizing a meeting between the Russian and US presidents is also being discussed. Do you think peace is close, or is it too early to talk about it? If it is too early, what factors hinder peace establishment?
– The fact of the dialogue will naturally give rise to various assumptions. However, one should not rush to conclude. The US is proclaiming a new ideology, but its deep-rooted policy differs from the proclaimed slogans. The US is negotiating with Russia but seeks to ensure that negotiations, agreements, and deals are held according to its rules. Bringing Russia out of isolation has its price. The Trump administration is also negotiating on commercial principles. It is still too early to talk about lasting peace.
– China has also responded positively to Russian-American efforts, as the Chinese foreign minister stated at the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting. What does this mean?
– The policies declared toward Russia and those implemented toward China go in different directions. An economic war has been declared against China, and it will continue. Naturally, China would make such a positive statement in publications about peace. Politics and the level of statements are different things.
– How would you assess the behavior of the Ukrainian president? Ukraine refuses to go to peace. What is his calculation, and who is holding him back from this idea—Europe or other forces?
– Europe has found itself in a difficult situation. Let’s analyze it from a financial and economic point of view. The US is trying to lighten its burden and put it on the shoulders of Europe. Ukraine does not want to conclude peace at the cost of concessions. He expects that all kinds of support will continue. The pressure to reach a ceasefire agreement is financial and economic. We should not forget that Washington is negotiating instead of Kyiv.
– In your opinion, what will forming a new world order look like, since it is obvious that we are dealing with a new world order?
– Even new agreements with Russia will not change the unipolar nature of the world order. The military-political superpower will continue to remain unipolar. However, in economic terms, we are already dealing with a bipolar world. The second pole is China, and it is here that the competition between the US and China will continue.
