Russia will have qualifications galore on ceasefire, says expert - Radio Schuman

Ukraine has accepted the offer of a 30-day ceasefire, and all eyes are now on Russia to see how they react, but the Kremlin will want to see the details of the ceasefire and will have plenty of qualifications, post-Soviet political expert Donnacha Ó Beacháin tells Radio Schuman today.

The Professor of Politics at the School of Law and Government, Dublin City University cannot see the Russians accepting “anything that doesn’t legitimise their land grab and ethnic cleansing” in Ukraine.

Reacting to the talks this week in Saudi Arabia between the Ukrainians and the Trump administration, Ó Beacháin said the fundamentals have not changed.

"You got the feeling that Ukraine is kind of like an inconvenience that has to be disposed of before getting back to some kind of normal business relationship", he said.

The Irish professor, who has just written a new book entitled 'Unfinished Empire, Russian Imperialism in Ukraine and the Near Abroad", is very critical of the EU for abandoning Ukraine.

"The invasion of Ukraine, as Ukrainians always point out, didn't start in 2022. It started in 2014. Europe had a decade to prepare, but it didn't. Instead, it was building Nord Stream and consolidating relations with Russia", he said.

Today Radio Schuman also features the EU South Africa summit and the increasing trend for VAT fraud across Europe.

Radio Schuman was hosted by Méabh Mc Mahon, with audio editing by Johan Breton. Music by Alexandre Jas.