Dario Tamburrano, a member of the European Parliament, explained in an interview with Pravda.Ru why the US and the UK are often reluctant to discuss important problems with Russia.
Dario Tamburrano assured us that "the Europeans want to avoid a war with Russia, because a conflict (including sanctions) is not in the interests of European citizens." "For that part of Europe that lives in real economy, trade relations and close relationships with Russia are very important." The politician said that that the wind of war from the US in Ukraine was blowing towards Europe.
"The mythology of leading media outlets speaks about Russia's annexation of the Crimea by force and threats. Those myths say that the standard of living has fallen sharply from the level of moderate well-being to black poverty," Tamburrano told Pravda.Ru.
To find out the real situation, Tamburrano went to Yalta in the Crimea and saw everything with his own eyes.
"I found Russians in the Crimea, who feel and see themselves Russians living in Russia. They see Russia (and Vladimir Putin) their only stronghold that could protect them from the tragic civil war that has been going on for already a year in Ukraine," said Tamburrano.
"The fact that they sell Putin T-shirts in the streets seems very revealing to me. Can you imagine Napolitano or Renzi T-shirts being sold here and there in Italy? Those Putin shirts are not meant for foreign tourists, who look for cheap exotic souvenirs. Although the Crimea, with access to the Black Sea, is a popular holiday destination, no one goes there for winter," said the politician.
"In the Crimea, mail from abroad does not arrive. Telephones and western credit cards do not operate ... I stayed in touch with the outside world only through the Internet that, by contrast, works perfectly thanks to free Wi-Fi in hotels and bars," said Dario Tamburrano.
The MP said that he found the situation in the Crimea completely calm, even against the backdrop of the deadly threat of civil war in Ukraine. "Shops and supermarkets take deliveries under normal conditions. Life is peaceful. I did not see any traces of poverty or famine," he said.
According to Dario Tamburrano, the trip to the Crimea felt like a journey to Italy during the 1970s. All the drawbacks related to the maintenance of roads and buildings are the fault of Ukraine. "There is no feeling of either crisis or decline. The Crimea has long been a desirable destination for tourists from Russia: landscapes, vegetation, food and climate are very similar to some parts of Italy and the coastal Greece."
Read the original of this article on the Russian page of Pravda.Ru