A number of recent critical articles in the Times of Malta regarding Russia’s role in international affairs, including that in the Ukrainian crisis and the reunification with Crimea, compelled me to try to introduce to readers how our country views the current situation inthe world.

The year 2015 is a remarkable one, as we are set to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the victory in the World War II, which was unprecedented by its scale and turned into a great tragedy for the peoples of the whole world.

Both Russia and Malta had their role to play in achieving a common victory at the cost of many lives of their citizens. In the case of Russia alone total casualties reached as many as 27 million people. We do not divide the victory over fascism, which was won by the Allies, but it is quite clear that the USSR made a major contribution to the liberation of Europe in 1945.

One would hope that after two large-scale wars and then the Cold War the world would finally embark on a road to mutually beneficial partnership and peaceful sustainable development. Unfortunately, this was not the case.

The US and its Western allies – having proclaimed themselves the “victors” of the Cold War – have repeatedly breached key provisions of international law, attempting to impose their own will across the world, making broad use of double standards and not stopping at direct interference in the internal affairs of sovereign states, including with the use of force. Peoples of Yugoslavia, Iraq, Libya, Syria, and now Ukraine have fully felt the consequences of this policy.

Despite our appeals, a common space of peace, security and stability has not been created in the Euro-Atlantic region.

Instead the Western Alliance has continued its policy of seizing geopolitical space and moving eastward through the expansion of Nato. The number of the Alliance’s military bases keeps growing all over the globe, including in areas close to Russia’s borders.

Going even further, the US pulled out of the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and began building a global missile defence system.

This policy reached its peak when the Washington- and Brussels-supported unconstitutional coup and armed seizure of power took place in Ukraine in February, 2014.

These changes were welcomed by many around the world but in some of Ukraine’s regions people were afraid that the power in Kiev had been seized by extremists, nationalists and right-wingers, including neo-Nazis. People feared for their future and their families and reacted accordingly.

In Crimea, they held a referendum. The decision to hold it was made by the legitimate authority of Crimea – its parliament – elected a few years before the events in Maidan under the Ukrainian law. Based on the results of the referendum, this body adopted a declaration of independence (just like Kosovo did) and turned to the Russian Federation with a request to accept Crimea.

Russia has always tried and will be trying to do its best to promote positive and unifying trends in international affairs

Those who like to criticise this step should not forget an International Court of Justice ruling, which said that the decision on self-determination does not require the approval of the supreme authority of a country.

One should also take into account numerous polls, including those conducted by Western rating agencies, which show that over 90 percent of Crimeans support the peninsula’s reunification with Russia.

What about the south-east of Ukraine? In Russia’s view, the key reason for the current situation in Donetsk and Lugansk (also known as Donbass) is the lack of desire on the part of the Kiev authorities to resolve the issue of relations with these regions peacefully, through negotiations. What we have seen instead was justsuppression by force with the use of tanks and aircraft, cluster bombs and even tactical weapons.

Currently, Donbass is completely blocked up. The banking system in not operating, social benefits and pensions are not being paid. There are grounds to say that the current Kiev authorities are cutting Donbass from Ukraine themselves.

Despite the complexity of the situation in Ukraine, we firmly believe that peace and concord can still be reached there. Russia is convinced that if the Minsk agreements signed this February and later enshrined in the UN Security Council resolution are acted upon, then the situation will, slowly but surely, return to normal.

At the same time, it must be understood that attempts to put pressure on Russia through unilateral sanctions will not make us forego what we think is right and just.

Russia has always tried and will be trying to do its best to promote positive and unifying trends in international affairs, consistently advocating a peaceful and future-oriented world agenda without considering any member of the international community an enemy.

We firmly believe that only collective efforts, reliance on international law, the UN’s central coordinating role and respect for the right of nations to determine their own future will produce answers to the threats and challenges that are facing mankind.

Following this line, Moscow has just hosted another inter-Syrian consultative meeting between the government and the opposition. It was deemed positive by its participants and for the first time resulted in an outcome agenda document called the ‘Moscow Platform’, where the sides confirmed that the settlement of the crisis in Syria must be reached through political means.

Vladimir Malygin is Ambassador of the Russian Federation.