Putin unlikely to make more concessions on Ukraine: Analyst

With the West failing to appreciate Moscow’s concessions over the Ukrainian crisis, Russian President Vladimir Putin is unlikely to make any more such compromises, an analyst tells Press TV.

“It’s very typical of the West and of the United States … that they think they have Russia in a bad position and that by exerting more pressure, they’ll force Russia to make more concessions,” university professor William Beeman said.

He added that it is standard procedure with regards to the US to push as hard as it possibly can and when it gets some results to push even harder. “This is not a formula frankly for success,” Beeman told Press TV.

He noted that the US also pursues a strategy to put pressure on the personal friends of President Putin in the hope that they would force him personally to make concessions in the case of Ukraine.

“I also think that this is a very bad strategy, something that the United States has tried before and as we can see I think in many cases these sorts of unilateral sanctions even if they’re very personalized don’t generally work,” the commentator pointed out.
Beeman’s remarks came after US Secretary of State John Kerry on May 15 vowed to punish Russia with further sanctions if Moscow and its allies “disrupt” the upcoming presidential election in Ukraine.

Ukraine’s interim government is due to hold a presidential election on May 25 as tensions grow in the eastern parts of the country.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday that his country may consider taking retaliatory measures if the West’s “hysterical” policy of sanctions against Moscow over the crisis in Ukraine continues.

The US and the EU accuse Russia of destabilizing Ukraine. They have slapped a number of sanctions against Russian and pro-Russia figures.

A total of 61 Russians and Ukrainians have been targeted by EU visa bans and asset freezes since Crimea declared independence from Ukraine and subsequently joined the Russian Federation.

The crisis in Ukraine erupted last November when the country’s then president, Viktor Yanukovych, refrained from signing an association agreement with the EU in favor of closer ties with Moscow.