In Vinnytsia Professor Vuytsitskyy spoke about European Reactions to Russian aggression in Ukraine
19/12/2014
It was held a conversation In Vinnytsia during the regular meeting of Polish-Ukrainian discussion platform, the topic of it was" The European reaction to Russian aggression in Ukraine."
The quest of the meeting, which was held on December 19th in "InterShyk" Gallery was Kazimierz Vuytsitskyy - doctor of political sciences, philosopher and historian, journalist (in particular of the "Air Force" company , the newspaper «Życie Warszawy»), director of the Polish Institute in Düsseldorf and Leipzig (Germany), director of department of Schetsynsk Institute of National Memory, invited professor at different universities, in particular, Ukrainian, at present - a teacher of East European Studies at Warsaw University and director of Krzyżowa European Academy (Polish-German research center), author of many publications and exhibitions .
During the meeting was discussed influence of Russian aggression in Ukraine to European politics; Events in Ukraine as a challenge for whole Europe; growing in Europe the rate of interest in Ukrainian culture and political history; perception of Ukraine and Ukrainians in the minds of Europeans; two sides of European media in reflecting events in Ukraine and so on.
At the beginning of his speech, Kazimierz Vuytsitskyy referred to the CIA analytical report for the period of 2004, which predicted the disintegration of Russian Federation in 10 years. According to Professor Vuytsitskiy, process of disintegration has already started.
Kazimierz Vuytsitskyy believes that statement about poverty of Russian economy is a myth, because its economy is actually only 3 times higher than Polish economy.
Russia''s economy is 3% of the world economy. Is it possible to cherish any imperial ambitions, having only 3 percent of the world’s economy? - Rhetorically asked Mr. Kazimierz. He also said that Russia now has serious demographic problem: in its European part now lives 105 million. people, and in a more bigger Asian part - 38 million. In addition, increasing of the population is positive only among minorities, while the proportion of ethnic Russians is reducing. This economic crisis caused by sanctions, and centrifugal tendencies in the minds of the inhabitants of the national republics and Siberia factors could be factors of disintegration of Russian Federation, said K. Vuytsitskyy.
As for the perception of Ukraine and Russia in the EU and in the Western world in General, then, according to the Polish guest, before the world had the illusion that Russia will modernize and will be on the path of democratization, and Ukraine was not noticed by the West for a long time, considering Ukrainians and Russians as one nation or considering Ukraine as a zone of Russian interests. Now Europe began more interested in Ukraine, Europe realized that Ukrainians are the individual European nation.
The EU''s foreign policy is under under reconstruction. Europe is surrounded by Islamic territories, it threatened by Islamic fundamentalism. A serious question has been raised whether Europe is in a position to continue the role of a major player on the world''s stage? And the situation with Ukraine spawned even more discussion on the status of Europe - said Kazhimyezh Vuytsitskyy and added that the EU and the US understood that Russia is at war not only with Ukraine, but also with whole democratic Western world.
Also during the discussion, which was attended by scientists, teachers, students and representatives of public organizations, was discussed about the Russian neoimperialism, heterogeneity and nomonallyty of Russia about growing interest of the West to Ukraine, about the geopolitical importance of our country on the world’s map. We have to think whether Ukrainians in future will want to have only a deep ditch between Ukraine and Russia or Ukraine is to create relations between Europe and Russia - as Poland played an important role in the " Eastern partnership", - said K. Vuytsitskyy.
The Polish-Ukrainian discussion platform was also attended by Vice Consul of General Consulate of Poland in Vinnitsa Damian Tsyartsinskyy and director of the "Podolian Agency of Regional Development" Natalya Velichko, they informed that organized by General Consulate and "PARD" meetings in the framework of the discussion platform will be held next year.
