Leonid Gusev

Russia Today: Many people will welcome this decision, but are the real problems being dealt with?

Leonid Gusev: The most pressing issue the Ukrainian parliament, the Supreme Rada, should address is the adoption of laws necessary for carrying out the elections. And the deputies should do this in the coming four months. 

RT: Will new elections in September resolve things?

L.G.: To a certain degree, I believe. They will help to ease tension but the general situation in parliament will not change. I think all parties represented in the Rada will get approximately the same number of votes.

RT: How significant is the situation in Ukraine, in relation to the wider world, and how may it affect relations with Russia?

L.G.: The situation in Ukraine is very significant, especially for Russia - first of all, because our gas pipelines go through the territory of Ukraine. So for Russia it is important to have good relations with the new government. Also, there are a lot of Russians and Russian-speaking people living in Ukraine - this is another issue that needs to be dealt with and resolved. Finally, there is the problem of the Russian Crimea-based fleet and we need to understand how it will be settled by the new government.

Earlier, Leonid Gusev joined Russia Today to discuss the current political situation in Ukraine.

Russia Today: Why is the opposition in Ukraine pushing for fresh elections?

Leonid Gusev: To my mind, it is mostly Yulia Timoshenko and her block who insist on new elections because her block will get most votes from Western Ukraine, which during the last elections President Yushchenko`s party ‘Our Ukraine’ got.

RT: Viktor Yushchenko is weighing-up a lot - not only the future of Ukraine. Isl he likely to suffer more if the Parliament stays on, or if he dissolves the parliament?

L.G.: To my mind, Viktor Yuschenko will suffer more if he dissolves the Parliament because his party ‘Our Ukraine’ will get approximately 6-7% of the votes. It will be less than at the last elections. 

RT: How does this crisis affect Ukrainian-Russian relations?

L.G.: I don’t think that nowadays it affects the relations very much. But any instability in Ukraine is not good for the relations between Russia and Ukraine. And we will see, what happens later.  

R.T: What is Yulia Timoshenko`s role in the current political situation in Ukraine?  How do you see her coming out of it all?

L.G.: I think, she will continue to arrange meetings and manifestations. She will insist on dissolving the Parliament, because now it is profitable for her and her block.  As I have said, she will obviously get more votes at next elections. It is good personally for her. 

 
Earlier Leonid Gusev joined Russia Today to discuss the meeting between the foreign ministers of the breakaway regions of South Ossetia, Abkhazia and Transdniester.

Russia Today: What are the foreign ministers hoping to achieve at the Moscow meeting?

Leonid Gusev: I think the ministers of these three republics want to co-ordinate their positions. There is the problem of Kosovo, which is likely to be resolved very soon. There’s the plan of Mr Martti Ahtisaari. And I think the Moscow meeting is connected with this Kosovo situation.

RT: Can you clarify Russia's position toward these three republics?

L.G.: Our leadership certainly says they support the territorial integrity of Georgia and Moldova. But think they wait for the Kosovo issue to be resolved first. President Putin mentioned this during his resent press conference, saying that international law must be the same for the whole world. When the situation in Kosovo is resolved, Moscow may have new grounds for determining its policy towards the breakaway regions.

Earlier, Mr Gusev commented on how the situation in Ukraine may affect Viktor Yanukovich's government.

L.G.: I think everything can happen in Ukraine. As we know, the situation in Ukraine can change very quickly. Some ministers can resign. But if in Ukraine's parliament, the Rada, the current coalition between the Party of the Regions, the Communist, and Socialist Party continues to exist, Yanukovich will continue to be a prime minister because this coalition has the majority. This is according to the Ukraine’s constitution.