The confrontation between the two politicians reflects the conflict between the Ukrainian elite and the middle class, according to the newspaper.
“In traditional political lexicon, Poroshenko can be described as the President of oligarchs, while Yatsenyuk is the Prime Minister of the middle class,” the newspaper writes.
The two politicians differ in their approaches towards settling the conflict in Donbass.
“Many of our politicians want to continue playing war. I will not allow this,” Poroshenko is quoted in the newspaper. “We are still in a state of war,” Yatsenyuk is quoted as saying.
These differences, however, could be just a tactical ploy, aimed at attracting different voter groups ahead of upcoming elections. Although the likelihood of this is not very high, as in reality “the pro-European forces in Ukraine are not as united in their yearning for freedom and democracy, as is typically portrayed in Western capitals,” claims the St.Galler Tagblatt.
The newspaper notes that many of the so-called volunteers, supporters of the Ukrainian army, are highly aggressive former Maidan activists espousing radical right-wing political views. They have long discussed the need to create a political block and see Yatsenyuk as its leader, the newspaper writes.
