Simple questions for Russia's Prime Minister

[ghost of moon goddess]

On May 19 Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev gave an exclusive interview to Bloomberg's Ryan Chilcote.
The full interview transcript can be found here:
http://government.ru/en/news/12509

[Gator]

GhostofMoonGoddess,

Great interview.  Ryan Chilcote did not throw softball questions.  He pushed Medvedev hard in some cases.



Ryan Chilcote: Speaking about President Obama, because you are the author, the architect, with President Obama, of the reset in relations. Are you disappointed by how President Obama has handled this crisis?

Dmitry Medvedev: Yes, I believe that President Obama could be more tactful politically when discussing these issues. Some decisions taken by the US Administration are disappointing. We have indeed done a lot for Russian-US relations. I believe doing so was right. The agreements that we reached with America were useful. And I’m very sorry that everything that has been achieved is now being eliminated by these decisions. Basically, we are slowly but surely approaching a new cold war that nobody needs.

I guess Obama did not live up to those whispered promises caught on camera that he made to Dmitry in 2012. 

[tjeff]

The whole development does not make any sense at all. Why abruptly start war mongering when everything was just going along fine. Some former USSR country between europe and asia, no one really cares about? That for sure is not the reason. The point is: the economic system is on the edge. The elite wants to have a conflict handy, in order to divert the attention of the masses practically instantly, when the monetary system suddenly explodes. I guess, Voltaire thought similarly.

[Anotherkiwi]

GhostofMoonGoddess,

Great interview.  Ryan Chilcote did not throw softball questions.  He pushed Medvedev hard in some cases.

Agree.  Referring to Medvedyev's comment about Chilcote's Russian being excellent, was the interview conducted in English or Russian?

[cc3]

The whole development does not make any sense at all. Why abruptly start war mongering when everything was just going along fine. Some former USSR country between europe and asia, no one really cares about? That for sure is not the reason. The point is: the economic system is on the edge. The elite wants to have a conflict handy, in order to divert the attention of the masses practically instantly, when the monetary system suddenly explodes. I guess, Voltaire thought similarly.

Five posts in six and a half years on this forum? Cat got your tongue?

That unimportant former USSR (or CCCP if you prefer Cyrillic) country is my future home. I really care about it, especially the parts where the populace believes in freedom from Russian dominance and oligarchic sponsored corruption. By the way, check your atlas; Ukraine is totally within Europe, not "between europe and asia [sic]". My Ukrainian fiancee, a loyal patriot, even though she is a resident in Luhansk, also very much cares for her nation. Those who reside in some podunk, geography and history-ignorant town in the US, Oz, Kiwi-land, or back country Europe may not care about Ukraine, but there are millions of us who do.

[southernX]

My Ukrainian fiancee, a loyal patriot, even though she is a resident in Luhansk, also very much cares for her nation. Those who reside in some podunk, geography and history-ignorant town in the US, Oz, Kiwi-land, or back country Europe may not care about Ukraine, but there are millions of us who do.

CC3 steady on mate, dont lump everyone into the non caring brigade too quickly hey
we  have family in both countrys , & WE CARE A LOT !!!

check your emotions, many of us long term married blokes & others  have strong ties in ukraine , we dont all post up intimate details of our lives etc,

id caution you to think a bit deeper before you spray us all , ok

SX

[JayH]

Five posts in six and a half years on this forum? Cat got your tongue?

That unimportant former USSR (or CCCP if you prefer Cyrillic) country is my future home. I really care about it, especially the parts where the populace believes in freedom from Russian dominance and oligarchic sponsored corruption. By the way, check your atlas; Ukraine is totally within Europe, not "between europe and asia [sic]". My Ukrainian fiancee, a loyal patriot, even though she is a resident in Luhansk, also very much cares for her nation. Those who reside in some podunk, geography and history-ignorant town in the US, Oz, Kiwi-land, or back country Europe may not care about Ukraine, but there are millions of us who do.

 

CC3 steady on mate, dont lump everyone into the non caring brigade too quickly hey
we  have family in both countrys , & WE CARE A LOT !!!

check your emotions, many of us long term married blokes & others  have strong ties in ukraine , we dont all post up intimate details of our lives etc,

id caution you to think a bit deeper before you spray us all , ok

SX

 

[Anotherkiwi]

...Those who reside in some podunk, geography and history-ignorant town in the US, Oz, Kiwi-land, or back country Europe may not care about Ukraine, but there are millions of us who do.

To be fair to my fellow Kiwis, Ukrainian history is not a subject that you'll find in any school curriculum here, but there are still plenty of people who care.  Just one example: one of my work colleagues is married to a Ukrainian woman.  They're about the same age (late twenties) and have a young son.  She moved here with her parents when she was about 7, speaks Russian only with her parents, although she much prefers English, and generally tries to dissociate herself from Ukraine.  However, her grandparents still live there (somewhere in or near Odessa) and she obviously cares that they come to no harm.  Her husband, by extension, also cares that his in-laws' relatives don't get caught up in anything not of their own choosing.

In my own case, I will admit that I was pretty ignorant of Ukrainian history before I started down the MOB trail (for want of a better description), although I had read a lot about Russian history when I was younger.  I've learnt a fair bit about Ukraine over the last few years, and visiting helped put a lot of that new-found knowledge into context.

I certainly DO care what happens, or I wouldn't be spending my time posting here.

[Photo Guy]

'The whole development' is all about the self-determination of the Ukrainian people, NOT the power play between the EU and Russia. Ukrainians have taken a look at life in the EU and also Russia. They are choosing the EU for a variety of reasons. That is the biggest factor in this conflict, along with Putin's childish desire for revenge- punishing Ukraine for throwing out a Putinesque leader.