Ukrainian expert comments on Poroshenko’s speech at UN GA

Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko’s speech at the United Nations General Assembly was nothing but mere verbiage since he did not give his vision of the solution to the conflict in Donbass, a Ukrainian political analyst said on Thursday.

"I cannot say that Pyotr Poroshenko’s speech at the UN General Assembly was dedicated to his vision of the way to settle the conflict in Donbass and of a peacekeeping mission in particular," said Elena Dyachenko. "Nothing was said about his steps or plans after the war."

She noted that at the beginning of his speech Poroshenko had even rebuked the United Nations for doing nothing during what he called Russia’s aggression, saying that the United Nations’ silence was the Kremlin’s weapon against Ukraine. "He shamed Russia for aggression, once again shamed the United Nations for the Security Council veto, then mentioned peacekeepers, but did it briefly, saying only that a mission with a strong mandate and broad authority is needed. Then, he praised his reforms and what he called the best economic growth dynamics among developing countries, shared his joy of celebrating the 85th anniversary of Holodomor (forced famine in Ukraine)," she said.

"That was an empty speech," she noted.

Taking the floor at the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, Poroshenko called on the member nations to support several resolutions, including the ones on Crimea, on prisoners in Russia, and on Holodomor. He insisted sanctions be imposed on Russia over the situation in the Sea of Azov. He also demanded a United Nations mission be deployed in Donbass but no resolution to this effect was initiated by the Ukrainian side.