President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky called the relations between Kiev and Moscow “very complex”. The Ukrainian leader said this during a joint briefing with Estonian President Kersti Kaljulayd in Tallinn.

“We have a very difficult situation with Russia, you know it. We started the dialogue, and, to be honest, it will be launched during the Norman meeting of the four leaders, ”Zelensky said.

At the same time, journalists also asked the Ukrainian leader what topics they discussed with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a telephone conversation that took place the day before.

“We discussed that the year is ending and we need to agree on the signing of a new long-term gas agreement. This is a priority for us. This is also necessary for the energy security of all of Europe, ”Zelensky replied.

In addition, he mentioned the situation with the ships of the Naval Forces of Ukraine “Berdyansk”, “Nikopol” and “Yana Kapu”, which Moscow recently returned to Kiev. They were detained in November last year during an attempt to illegally cross the Russian border in the area of ​​the Kerch Strait.

The Ukrainian side continues to argue that the vessels allegedly lack some of the equipment, and they themselves are in unsatisfactory condition.

“Our military boats returned last week, but we discussed the issue that there wasn’t all the technical equipment that was. We spoke with the president so that the Russian side would return to us everything that was before. It is possible and more. At least ours, ”Zelensky said.

On Monday, November 25, the Kremlin’s press service announced a telephone conversation between the presidents of Russia and Ukraine in connection with the Norman-format summit scheduled for December 9 in Paris. The heads of state discussed the transfer to Kiev of three warships, as well as the situation around the transit contract and the resumption by the Ukrainian side of direct purchases of Russian gas.

At the same time, Ukrainian officials express different opinions on the issue of cooperation with Russia in the energy sector. Naftogaz’s executive director, Yuri Vitrenko, threatened that Kiev would start pumping blue fuel destined for Europe into its storage facilities if an agreement was not reached on the transit of energy resources. At the same time, the Minister of Energy of the country Aleksey Orzhel indicated that for Ukraine the issue of concluding a transit contract with Russia is an “absolute priority”.

Note that the next round of trilateral consultations in the Russia-Ukraine-EU format on this issue at the ministerial level is scheduled for the first week of December. At the same time, expert consultations will be held on November 29.

In addition, in Tallinn Zelensky again commented on the words of Ukrainian businessman Igor Kolomoisky that Ukraine should restore relations with Russia. In an interview with The New York Times, the oligarch also advocated abandoning the course to the West, since the EU and NATO, in his opinion, will never accept Ukraine into their ranks.

“Mr. Kolomoisky is not the president of Ukraine, and he is a citizen of Ukraine. And the majority of Ukrainian citizens have chosen European integration and a course towards the European Union, therefore it is the people of Ukraine who choose where to go, ”he added.

Utopian Way

Professor of the Department of Comparative Political Science of RUDN University Yuriy Pochta pointed out that the Ukrainian path “to the West, to Europe” as a whole can be called “utopian”.

“At best, Ukraine is waiting for the fate of Bulgaria, Romania - countries that have turned into the poor periphery of European society, and all their expectations simply have not been met,” the expert explained in an interview with RT.

According to him, criticizing Moscow and accusing it that Kiev was allegedly “colonially dependent”, as well as speaking about Europe’s readiness to accept Ukraine into its ranks, the Ukrainian authorities are fulfilling the “task of containing and information-psychological warfare against Russia”.

At the same time, according to Yuri Pochta, Kiev will inevitably have to establish relations with Moscow.

In turn, the director of the Energy Development Fund Sergey Pikin believes that there is still a chance for rapprochement of the positions of participants in gas negotiations until January 1, 2020.

“In my opinion, you can agree. There are radical things to discuss. The nullification of mutual claims is the most radical proposal on which it will be most difficult to reach an agreement. According to other parameters, we are in the right direction, ”the source said.