US, EU are ‘neck deep’ in plan to see pro-Western regime change in Ukraine
"The United States and NATO and the EU are together using their combined forces to signal to these demonstrators that 'We are with you,'" he said. The EU, NATO leadership and the Obama administration "are neck deep now in a plan to carry out regime change in this extremely important part of Europe, trying to integrate a former Soviet republic into the EU and, of course, into NATO ultimately."Though the Ukrainian conflict is complex, with "its own dynamic," protesters are certainly emboldened by support from Western powers, Brian Becker, director of the anti-war ANSWER Coalition, told RT in an interview.
In the cheerleading for protesters coming from Washington, Becker believes the US is fomenting discontent to further its reach into Russia's backyard.
"I think the United States government is playing another dirty game. They're trying to do what they have tried to do for the last 20 years, which is to incorporate all of the former socialist countries in the eastern and central European bloc - those that were aligned with the Soviet Union - into an American-Western-NATO sphere of influence," he said.
RT: Some are saying that extremists among the demonstrators are now emboldened to be violent after such strong support from abroad. Are the EU and the US really to blame for this?
Brian Becker: I think there's an inter-tangling here, of course. The internal struggle within Ukraine is complex, it is complicated, it has its own dynamic. And there is a very far-right fascist and semi-fascist force that is opting for violence and really armed struggle to overthrow the government, as a tactic to integrate Ukraine into the EU and into the Western powers. But behind that, the wind in their sails right now - and we can see it from the upsurge of violence - does come from the most important military powers in the Western world: the United States and NATO and the EU together are using their combined forces to signal to these demonstrators that 'We are with you.' And of course that emboldens them. [US Secretary of State] John Kerry and the EU, NATO leadership, and the Obama administration are neck deep now in a plan to carry out regime change in this extremely important part of Europe, trying to integrate a former Soviet republic into the EU and, of course, into NATO ultimately.
RT: But Brussels and Washington don't want to see people dying over this, do they?
BB: I think the United States government is involved in invasion after invasion, occupation of countries, bombing of countries. I don't know if the loss of human life is really the ultimate criteria. I really don't believe so. I think the United States government is playing another dirty game. They're trying to do what they've been doing for the last 20 years, which is to incorporate all of the former socialist countries in the eastern and central European bloc - those that were aligned with the Soviet Union - into an American-Western-NATO sphere of influence. And Ukraine is a big prize, with a very big military and it is right on Russia's border. It's part of a new Cold War against Russia, as well.
RT: There's even been talk of sanctions against Kiev. Why do Western officials insist on blaming the government for the violence?
BB: Can you imagine in the United States - where police forces arrested 7,000 people in the Occupy movement, which was a completely peaceful movement that [the US] broke because they feared any rising discontent against inequality - they're now telling this sovereign government of Ukraine, confronted with armed mobs and people carrying Molotov cocktails and guns, that if they use police force, that it is a violation of [protesters'] right of dissent. The hypocrisy here is dripping. I mean, the United States government has no right - when they foment opposition, arm opposition groups from Syria to Libya, and now in Ukraine - and then say when a government responds to it, 'See, you're violating people's constitutional rights or free speech rights.' That's just a propaganda game.
RT: Is there really a serious riff forming between Russia and the EU about this?
BB: The EU triggered this whole protest movement. They signaled their pro-European forces inside Ukraine when they gave an ultimatum to the Ukrainian government back in November. 'Which side are you on? Are you going to maintain your economic and political and diplomatic ties with Russia, or are you going to come into the EU?' And under the condition of that ultimatum, these protests began and great pressure was brought to bear on the Ukrainian government. This is a destabilization campaign. It's a coordinated economic, political, and ultimately military destabilization campaign against an important country, a country that's historically linked first to the Soviet Union and to Russia. They want to bring it over into the camp of the American government, which has expansionist designs. They want to encircle Russia in order to conquer what was formally an independent part of the world. And subjugate it, dominate it, and of course the Russians perceive it as a threat. This was an EU-provoked crisis, not a Russian-provoked crisis.
RT: What about people in Ukraine who do want to see a change in the government? They're fed up with corruption and a poor standard of living.
BB: Indeed, there are many different forces that are struggling against the Yanukovich government. There are some to the right, some to the left. It's very complex. Many have legitimate grievances. There's high unemployment. The breakup of the Soviet Union led to an evisceration of the people in Ukraine. That's not the issue, though, for the United States and the EU countries, which are using valid grievances against the Ukrainian government for a larger, geostrategic purpose, which is to integrate Ukraine into the Western bloc.
RT: Ukraine is divided by east and west, loyalties to Russia and the EU. Are we seeing a country split in half?
BB: Yes, there's eastern Ukraine with historic ties to Russia, and the west is more oriented towards the EU. But there's also a class divide; there's rich and poor. And of course the upper classes, those who have been courted by Western powers, are being told, 'Look, if you come with us, you will become very, very rich.' They have nothing in common with the Ukrainians, who are poor and who have been suffering for the last 20 years. There's a class divide in addition to a geographic divide.
RT: There's talk of a civil war. If so, should there be a neutral moderator? Who would it be?
BB: What needs to happen is the EU countries and, I would say as an American, we have to tell our government, 'stop trying to foment civil disruption Ukraine,’ maybe possibly fomenting civil war as they did in the case of Syria, for instance, or Libya. 'Stop doing that.' The Ukrainian people, and only they, should be the determiners of their destiny. They should have real self-determination, which means the Western powers need to get out and leave them alone.
Making public appeals to arm the opposition has crossed the line, declared Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich in address to the nation published on his website.
“This is a glaring violation of the law. The offenders must appear before a tribunal which will determine the measure of punishment for them. This is not my caprice, it is my duty as a guarantor of the Constitution - to ensure peace in the country, the peace of the citizens and justice for everyone,”the statement says.
The leaders of the opposition should immediately dissociate from the radicals provoking bloodshed and clashes with law enforcement, demanded Yanukovich.
“If they do not wish to abide, they ought to declare that they support the radicals. In that case they would be treated respectively,” the president declared.
Viktor Yanukovich said that opposition leaders demanded full power without elections, which is unconstitutional.
“I told the [opposition leaders] many times – elections are close. If people trust you, you will be in power. If they do not, you won’t. But both must occur legally, according to the Constitution of Ukraine,” Yanukovich stated.
During a phone call to Viktor Yanukovich, US Vice-President Joe Biden expressed “grave concern”at the surge of violence in the Ukrainian capital. Biden urged Yanukovich to exercise maximum restraint and pull back law enforcement confronting the rioters in downtown Kiev.
With the White House condemning violence in Ukraine, Biden maintained it is the special responsibility of Ukraine's government to defuse tension.
The Ukrainian Interior Ministry reported that seven police officers died of gunshot wounds during the clashes. Two additional officers were later killed and another was critically injured as a traffic police unit was attacked in Kiev. The police officers died while in pursuit of the offenders.
The ministry added that 135 law enforcers have been taken to nearby hospitals, 35 of whom are in critical condition.
Kiev’s hospitals are unable to handle the large amount of injured people coming in from the streets, TSN reported. There is a wait for operation rooms and people are being carried in with various types of injuries. There have been reports of two amputations, punched out eyes, and injured extremities.
Thousands continue to occupy Kiev's Independence Square as state security forces move in to disperse the crowds.
Fighting in the Independence Square (Maidan) area has intensified, according to Twitter reports. Riot police are reportedly on the offensive, throwing stun grenades and spraying tear gas. Rioters are responding with Molotov cocktails. Gunshots can be heard.
Another group of around 1,000 rioters attempted to storm a district police headquarters building in Kiev, using an explosive device in the process. The rioters seized two trolley buses in order to block streets and a truck which they used to ram police cordons. They also smashed an ambulance and broke into several offices in central Kiev.
As the situation in Kiev intensifies, violence has been spreading to the west of the country. Hundreds of young rioters in the western city of Lvov seized the regional administration building and stormed the Lvov Central Internal Affairs Directorate, Interfax reported.
Rioters have also seized a military base, Ukrainian news website UA-RU.info reported. The protesters agreed with the military that troops would leave the base without weapons, and weapons warehouses have been sealed. A fire has engulfed the barracks. Thirty soldiers have been injured, five of whom were hospitalized, following the attack on the military unit, according to local police.
Around 300 rioters have also surrounded the local administration building and police department in the western city of Ternopol, Unian reported. Protesters threw bricks at the police department's windows and demanded that officers evacuate the building. As policemen began making their way out through the back exit, rioters continued to throw rocks and chased them down the street. There are reports that three smoke bombs and grenades were used.
Meanwhile, the southern Ukrainian Autonomous Republic of Crimea has urged President Viktor Yanukovich to come up with “decisive action and emergency measures” to end riots and restore constitutional order.
“The peaceful Crimea is extremely concerned with the latest surge of violence in central Kiev. The carnage on the capital’s streets proves that the opposition has taken manifold concessions on part of the government for a show of its weakness, and has used the amnesty law as a break before a new attempt of a forceful power grab,” Crimea’s Supreme Council said in a Tuesday statement.
According to the statement, the general mobilization – called by “extremist” groups like the Right Sector and the Svoboda Party – is nothing but the start of a civil war in Ukraine.
