In a statement Sunday, Tuomioja said it is yet unclear who is behind the most recent unrest in Ukraine. Nevertheless, he describes the events as organised and suspects them of having connections beyond the Ukrainian borders.
It is also unclear what the ultimate goal behind the seizing of the public buildings may be.
“If it is meant to be a provocation, it would make it possible for a larger military force to come in across the border. Another choice would be that is to be used as a bargaining chip, designed to achieve maximum result for the Russian speakers in the area,” said Tuomioja on his thoughts behind the Russia separatists’ actions.
Demonstrators have made it point of displaying the Russian flag, but Tuomioja comments that Russia could easily state that the protesters do not represent Moscow, and if so, Russia could call upon them to end the violence.
There are suspicions that the raiding groups include many Russians, making the situation similar to the Crimean crisis, which was followed by Russian leadership admitting that it was indeed a Russian military campaign.
Between a rock and a hard place
“Ukraine is truly between a rock and a hard place: they don’t want to resort to violence, for that would inevitably give the impression of a civil war,” said the foreign minister.
At the same time, Ukraine must defend its sovereign immunity. The situation is fragile.
Tuomioja feels the international community should beef up its presence in Ukraine quickly, as it could have a calming effect. There are several OSCE observers in Ukraine at present, but their numbers are few and their task is to observe, not interfere.
The EU foreign ministers are scheduled to meet in Luxembourg tomorrow. Tuomioja stresses that the situation in Ukraine is changing every moment and the EU’s task is to emphasize a political solution.
On Thursday, representatives from Russia, the EU, the US and Ukraine will discuss the Ukraine crisis in Geneva.
