Expert: Ivanov’s statement on Ukraine – forming G8 summit’s critical agenda

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“Statements of the Russian Minister of Defense Sergey Ivanov who accused Ukraine of violating cruise missiles’ non-proliferation regime were aimed not so much against Ukraine as against the United States’ policy in that country. Indeed, the instance of Ukrainian selling missiles to Iran was known a year ago. The most important issue for Moscow in this regard is the U.S. consent to the deal,” deputy head of the Noravank academic and educational foundation Sevak Sarukhanyan said.

He said that the fact that Ivanov again addressed the infamous Iranian-Ukrainian deal shows that Russia is actively preparing to the G8 summit in St. Petersburg. “Ivanov’s statement criticizes not the Ukrainian leadership but the U.S. policy in Ukraine. It is merely forming the critical agenda for the G8 summit. That is, this is a message to Americans: If you are so principled, look at Ukraine who is spreading missile technologies. Obviously, Americans are not going to do anything in this regard,” Sarukhanyan remarked.

On June 30, vice Prime Minister, Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Sergey Ivanov accused Ukraine of violating missile technologies non-proliferation regime. He said that, in 2000 and 2001, the Ukrainian Progress firm, an Ukrspetsexport subsidiary, sold to China and Iran six X55 long-range air-based cruise missiles each. Ivanov called this a “gross violation of the missile technologies control regime, of which Ukraine is a subscriber.” In this regard, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Vassily Filipchuk announced that “the Ukrainian party refutes all accusations of alleged ‘deliveries’ or ‘illegal exports’ of cruise missiles to other countries.” “The Russian party groundlessly accuses Ukraine of violating missile technologies control regime in order to create an atmosphere of distrust towards Ukraine on the verge of the G8 summit,” Filipchuk asserted.