US hindering solution to Ukraine crisis

A political commentator says constant meddling by the United States in Ukraine is obstructing a peaceful settlement of the ongoing crisis in the country, Press TV reports.

In an interview with Press TV on Friday, Joaquin Flores, with the Center for Syncretic Studies, said that the United States spent “billions of dollars” to engineer an entire “coup” and manage its aftermaths in Ukraine.

The commentator noted that the current challenges facing Ukraine were caused by the “US-led coup” against the country’s former president, Viktor Yanukovych, in February.

The ongoing “Western interference” has intensified the conflict in the country’s eastern parts, which have witnessed fierce clashes between Kiev’s troops and pro-Russian forces, he added.

The analyst rejected Western accusations of Moscow having a hand in the chaotic situation, adding that Russian soldiers are deployed alongside its own border to prevent any unwanted incident.

He also criticized Washington’s military adventurism, saying the US has established “hundreds of bases” in various parts of the world in order to expand its “empire.”

The remarks come as mainly Russian-speaking regions in Ukraine’s east have witnessed deadly clashes between pro-Russia activists and the Ukrainian army since Kiev launched military operations to silence the pro-Russians in mid-April.

Violence intensified in May after Donetsk and Lugansk regions held local referendums, in which their residents voted overwhelmingly in favor of independence from Ukraine.

The United Nations says over 3,500 people have been killed during the conflict in eastern Ukraine.