Ukrainian Ambassador in France: Relations between Paris and Kiev may deteriorate
After the elections in France next year, relations with Kyiv may deteriorate. The Ambassador of Ukraine to France, Oleh Shamshur, expressed this opinion in an interview with Europeyska Pravda.
According to him, potential successors to the current president Hollande – Le Pen and Sarkozy – have not yet spoken about their vision for the Normandy group (Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany); however, their position regarding the restoration of relations with Russia does not favor Ukraine.
"2017 will be a very difficult year for relations between our two countries. Barring something radical, it is very likely that France will have a new president. And if it so happens, this new president will 100% be a representative of the conservative right-wing camp. Unfortunately, most of the right-wingers in France advocate views that are rather unfavorable for Ukraine. It is they who are very sensitive to Russian interests, and want to return to business as usual with Russia," Shamshur says.
He noted that meanwhile there are no discussions on either keeping or discontinuing the discussions of the Normandy group yet. "Basically, everything is focused on the prospects of relations with Russia and the dismantling of the sanctions. That makes it clear, that in this context, that the prospects for a positive result from the Normandy group, which would coincide with our national interests, are quite illusory," Shamshur said.
In this context, he recalled the resolutions of the French National Assembly and the Senate, which express the position for a return to positive relations with Russia.