Editor's note: David C. Speedie is senior fellow director for the U.S. Global Engagement Program at the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs, an educational, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that produces lectures, publications and multimedia materials on the ethical challenges of living in a globalized world.
(CNN) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin says neo-fascist far-right groups are firmly behind the putsch -- coup d'etat -- in Kiev and questions the democratic credentials of "men with black masks and Kalashnikovs" who became the poster children of the Maidan for Russians.
Does this assessment have any truth to it? In the fast-moving and chronically complex course of events in Ukraine, the issue has been debated from the beginning: the role of the far right in the events that led to the toppling of the Viktor Yanukovych government and in the present and future disposition of political power in the country.
There are some known facts: First, far-right, anti-Semitic, anti-Russian and openly fascist groups have existed and do exist as a blight on modern Ukraine. A 2012 European Parliament resolution condemned the main -- but by no means most extreme -- ultra-right party, Svoboda, as "racist, anti-Semitic and xenophobic."
This extraordinary EU resolution contains 18 points of concern over policies embedded in laws of the Ukrainian Rada, or Parliament. A key paragraph reads that the EU "is concerned about the rising nationalistic sentiment in Ukraine." The Parliament stresses that "racist, anti-Semitic and xenophobic views go against the EU's fundamental values and principles."
The resolution also appeals to pro-democratic parties in the Rada "not to associate with, endorse or form coalitions with this party."
As if to endorse the sentiments of the EU resolution, the leader of Svoboda (or "Freedom"), Oleh Tyahnybok, is on record saying that Kiev is governed by "a Jewish-Russian mafia" and has said Ukrainians bravely fought Muscovites, Germans, Jews "and other scum" in World War II.
This unsavory constituency, including the "ultra" Right Sector movement, manned the barricades in the Kiev uprising, providing "security" to the mainstream political opposition leaders and matching the pro-government forces in violent tactics that led to the dozens of dead in and around the Maidan.
These rightist-nationalist forces were in large part responsible for the collapse of the agreement signed in February that called for early parliamentary and presidential elections and a return to the 2004 Ukrainian constitution, which harks back to the "Orange Revolution" that brought a pro-West government to power in Ukraine.
Ukrainian tanks are transported from their base in Perevalne, Crimea, on Wednesday, March 26. After Russian troops seized most of Ukraine's bases in Crimea, interim Ukrainian President Oleksandr Turchynov ordered the withdrawal of armed forces from the peninsula, citing Russian threats to the lives of military staff and their families.
Photos: Crisis in Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin: Russian forces are in a tense standoff with Ukrainian forces in Crimea, an autonomous region of eastern Ukraine with strong loyalty to neighboring Russia. Putin has denied that Russian troops are in Crimea, but he told U.S. President Barack Obama that Russia's Parliament approved military action in Ukraine because it "reserves the right to defend its interests and the Russian-speaking people who live there."
Crisis in Ukraine: Key players
Ukrainian crisis: 'This is Putin's show'
In backing away from this face-saving compromise, one that was negotiated with the approval of the French, German and Polish governments, and which surely would have resulted in the removal of Yanukovych, moderate opposition leaders essentially capitulated to the far right.
The Russian position is also somewhat bolstered by the fact that Svoboda holds key posts in the interim government in Kiev, including that of deputy prime minister. Andriy Parubiy, the commander of the "Maidan self-defense," has been appointed the head of the National Security and Defense Council, and the leader of the Right Sector ultras, Dmitro Yarosh, is expected to become his deputy chairman. Svoboda controls the prosecutor general office and the ministries of ecology and agriculture.
At very least, the interim government has made bedfellows of some highly suspect and divisive forces.
But it is also true to say that many of the specific details of far-right activity and influence are anecdotal and perhaps contradictory.
On the one hand, there are reports of Jewish homes in Lviv and the western part of Ukraine being daubed with anti-Semitic slogans; on the other, Ukraine's head rabbi has weighed in with the opinion that anti-Semitism is "not on the rise." A group of Jewish groups sent an open letter to Putin that said, in part, "Your certainty of the growth of anti-Semitism in Ukraine also does not correspond to the actual facts."
It is also true that far-right forces are on the rise across Europe, including in the "respectable" democracies of the West, and that their targets range from Jews to Roma to gays to any "out" group, including the miscellany of new immigrants who are encouraged under European Union laws of free movement.
Finally, it is true that the long reach of memory evokes images from 70 years ago, those of robust support in western Ukraine for the fascist side during World War II. This is especially true in the east and south of a divided country, those regions that look to Moscow rather than to Washington or Brussels.
But these various points do not alter the fact that the European Parliament undertook the extraordinary measure of singling out Ukrainian ultra-nationalism, nor do they gainsay the role of its most influential exponent, Svoboda, in the new interim government.
In this context, and even as they may disagree on specific measures to be taken the path toward a prosperous, peaceful, united, democratic Ukraine, sober observers agree that this can be achieved only with the marginalization of the far right.
Unfortunately, the appointments of ultra-rightists to the interim government place this in serious question. Looking ahead, we must hope that the meeting in Brussels of the European foreign ministers, including Russia -- the first, we assume, of several -- may create a blueprint for Ukraine based on cooperative solutions rather than confrontation.
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The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of David Speedie.
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Ukrainian marines wave as they leave a base in Feodosia, Crimea, on Tuesday, March 25.
Russian sailors stand on the deck of the corvette ship Suzdalets in the bay of Sevastopol, Crimea, on March 25.
Pro-Russian militia members remove a local resident as Russian troops assault the Belbek air base, outside Sevastopol, on Saturday, March 22. Following its annexation of Crimea, Russian forces have consolidated their control of the region.
Soldiers in unmarked uniforms sit atop an armored personnel carrier at the gate of the Belbek air base on March 22.
A Russian sailor holds the Russian Navy's St. Andrew's flag while standing on the bow of the surrendered Ukrainian submarine Zaporozhye on March 22 in Sevastopol.
Russian President Vladimir Putin signs the final decree completing the annexation of Crimea on Friday, March 21, as Upper House Speaker Valentina Matviyenko, left, and State Duma Speaker Sergei Naryshkin watch.
A Ukrainian serviceman leaves a Ukrainian military unit that Russian soldiers took control of in Perevalne on March 21.
Ukrainian border guards run during training at a military camp in Alekseyevka, Ukraine, on March 21.
Russian soldiers patrol the area surrounding a Ukrainian military unit in Perevalne on Thursday, March 20.
Pro-Russian protesters remove the gate to the Ukrainian navy headquarters as Russian troops stand guard in Sevastopol on Wednesday, March 19.
Pro-Russian forces walk inside the Ukrainian navy headquarters in Sevastopol on March 19.
A member of pro-Russian forces takes down a Ukrainian flag at the Ukrainian navy headquarters in Sevastopol on March 19.
Alexander Vitko, chief of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, leaves the Ukrainian navy headquarters in Sevastopol after pro-Russian forces took it over on March 19.
A Russian flag waves as workers install a new sign on a parliament building in Simferopol, Crimea's capital, on March 19.
Russian military personnel surround a Ukrainian military base in Perevalne on March 19.
Nameplates on the front of the Crimean parliament building get removed Tuesday, March 18, in Simferopol.
From left, Crimean Prime Minister Sergey Aksyonov; Vladimir Konstantinov, speaker of the Crimean parliament; Russian President Vladimir Putin; and Alexei Chaly, the new de facto mayor of Sevastopol, join hands in Moscow on March 18 after signing a treaty to make Crimea part of Russia.
Demonstrators hold a Crimean flag at Lenin Square in Simferopol on March 18.
Ukrainian soldiers stand guard at a checkpoint near Strilkove, Ukraine, close to Crimea on Monday, March 17.
Former boxer and Ukrainian politician Vitali Klitschko addresses reporters in Kiev, Ukraine, on March 17.
Ukrainian troops stand guard in front of the Ukrainian Parliament building in Kiev on March 17.
A Ukrainian man applies for the National Guard at a mobile recruitment center in Kiev on March 17.
Civilians walk past riot police in Simferopol on March 17.
A Ukrainian soldier stands on top of an armored vehicle at a military camp near the village of Michurino, Ukraine, on March 17.
Policemen stand guard outside the regional state administration building in Donetsk, Ukraine, during a rally by pro-Russia activists March 17.
Armed soldiers stand guard outside a Ukrainian military base in Perevalne on March 17.
A man holds a Crimean flag as he stands in front of the Crimean parliament building in Simferopol on March 17.
Crimeans holding Russian flags celebrate in front of the parliament building in Simferopol on Sunday, March 16.
A Ukrainian police officer tries to shield himself from a road block thrown by pro-Russia supporters in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on March 16.
Pro-Russia demonstrators storm the prosecutor general's office during a rally in Donetsk on March 16.
A child casts her mother's ballot March 16 while holding a Russian flag at a polling station in Simferopol.
A pro-Russian soldier, with the Russian flag behind him, mans a machine gun outside an Ukrainian military base in Perevalne on Saturday, March 15.
A pro-Russian soldier guards the perimeter outside an Ukrainian military base in Perevalne on March 15.
Russian flags wave in front of a monument dedicated to Soviet Union founder Vladimir Lenin during a pro-Russia rally in Simferopol's Lenin Square on March 15.
Evgenyi Batyukhov cries March 14 at the site where pro-Russian and pro-Ukrainian activists clashed the night before in Donetsk, Ukraine.
A line of policemen stand in front of a bus of pro-Ukrainian activists as pro-Russian supporters confront them during a rally in Donetsk on Thursday, March 13.
Pro-Russian supporters clash with pro-Ukrainian activists in Donetsk on March 13.
Recent Academy Award winner Jared Leto walks through Independence Square in Kiev on March 13. During his Oscars acceptance speech in early March, the actor spoke to protesters in Ukraine and Venezuela saying, "We're thinking of you tonight."
A member of a pro-Russian self-defense unit checks a polling station near Simferopol on March 13.
A Ukrainian soldier looks out of the window of a regional military building with a poster reading "Ukraine's armed forces wait for you!" in Donetsk on March 13.
An armed Cossack stands guard at a checkpoint on the road from Simferopol to Sevastopol on March 13.
A pro-Russian soldier speaks to a truck driver outside the Ukrainian infantry base in Perevalne on Wednesday, March 12.
Cossacks stand guard at Crimea's regional parliament building in Simferopol on March 12.
Soldiers are seen aboard the Ukrainian ship Slavutych in the harbor of Sevastopol on Tuesday, March 11.
Ukrainian naval officers board a boat in front of the Russian minesweeper Turbinist in Sevastopol's harbor on March 11.
People shout slogans during a pro-Russia rally in Donetsk on Sunday, March 9.
Ukrainian police detain a demonstrator during a pro-Russian rally in Donetsk on March 9.
Pro-Russia protesters remove a Ukrainian flag from a flagpole taken from a government building in Donetsk on March 9.
Cossacks and other pro-Russian forces stand guard outside a government building in Simferopol on Saturday, March 8.
Ukrainian soldiers load armored personnel carriers into boxcars in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv on March 8.
Armed men believed to be Russian military march in a village outside Simferopol on Friday, March 7.
Pro-Russia protesters demonstrate outside the Belbek air base, near Sevastopol, on Thursday, March 6.
A Ukrainian navy officer looks at the scuttled, decommissioned Russian vessel Ochakov from the Black Sea shore outside the town of Myrnyi, Ukraine, on March 6. Russian naval personnel scuttled the ship, blockading access for five Ukrainian naval vessels.
A member of the Russian military patrols around Perevalne on March 6.
Servicemen guard a checkpoint at a Ukrainian navy base in Perevalne on March 6.
Ukrainian troops guard the Belbek air base on March 6.
A woman walks past barricades March 6 that were set up by anti-government protesters in Kiev's Independence Square.
A sailor guards the Ukrainian Navy ship Slavutych in the Bay of Sevastopol on Wednesday, March 5.
People wait in line for food distribution in Independence Square on March 5.
Ukrainian sailors carry meat to their vessel in the Sevastopol harbor on March 5.
Riot police stand at the entrance of a regional administrative building during a rally in Donetsk on March 5.
A Ukrainian police officer gives instructions to members of the media in front of the business class lounge of the Simferopol airport on March 5.
Pro-Russia demonstrators wave a Russian flag after storming a regional administrative building in Donetsk on March 5.
Demonstrators break a police barrier as they storm a regional administrative building in Donetsk on March 5.
Ukrainian military recruits line up to receive instructions in Kiev's Independence Square on Tuesday, March 4.
People stand on the Ukrainian Navy ship Slavutych while it's at harbor in Sevastopol on March 4. Mattresses were placed over the side of the ship to hinder any attempted assault.
Ukrainian troops watch as a Russian navy ship blocks the entrance of the Ukrainian navy base in Sevastopol on March 4.
A woman photographs pro-Russian soldiers guarding Ukraine's infantry base in Perevalne on March 4.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, wearing a blue scarf, visits a shrine March 4 for the people who were killed in February during anti-government protests in Kiev.
Yuli Mamchun, the commander of the Ukrainian military garrison at the Belbek air base near Sevastopol, salutes on March 4.
Russian soldiers stand guard at the Belbek air base on March 4.
Ukrainian military members march at the Belbek air base on March 4.
Russian soldiers fire warning shots to keep back Ukrainian military members at the Belbek air base on March 4.
A Ukrainian airman puts the Ukrainian national flag over the gate of the Belbek air base as they guard what's left under their control on March 4.
Russian soldiers aim a grenade launcher and machine gun as they guard positions at the Belbek air base on March 4.
Ukrainian seamen stand guard on the Ukrainian navy ship Slavutych in the Sevastopol harbor on Monday, March 3.
Oleg, a Ukrainian soldier, kisses his girlfriend, Svetlana, through the gates of the Belbek base entrance on March 3. Tensions are high at the base, where Ukrainian soldiers were standing guard inside the building while alleged Russian gunmen were standing guard outside the gates.
Wives of Ukrainian soldiers walk past Russian soldiers to visit their husbands guarding a military base in Perevalne on March 3.
A Russian soldier guards an area outside Ukraine's military base in the village of Perevalne on March 3.
A sailor looks out a window near the entrance to the Ukrainian navy headquarters in Sevastopol on March 3.
Armed men in military uniform walk outside a Ukrainian military unit near Simferopol on Sunday, March 2. Hundreds of armed men in trucks and armored vehicles surrounded the Ukrainian base Sunday in Crimea, blocking its soldiers from leaving.
Soldiers walk outside a Ukrainian military base in Perevalne as a local resident waves a Russian flag March 2.
Demonstrators shout during a rally in Kiev's Independence Square on March 2.
Ukrainian soldiers, left, and unidentified gunmen, right, stand at the gate of an infantry base in Perevalne on March 2.
Ukrainian soldiers guard a gate of an infantry base in Perevalne on March 2.
A woman cries during a rally in Independence Square on March 2.
Protesters hold flags of the United States, Germany and Italy during a rally in Independence Square on March 2.
People attend a morning prayer service at Independence Square on March 2.
A soldier and a truck driver unload bread outside the Ukranian navy headquarters in Sevastopol on March 2.
Heavily armed troops, displaying no identifying insignia and who were mingling with local pro-Russian militants, stand guard outside a local government building in Simferopol on March 2.
A woman waits in front of unidentified men in military fatigues who were blocking a base of the Ukrainian frontier guard unit in Balaklava, Ukraine, on Saturday, March 1.
U.S. President Barack Obama, in the Oval Office of the White House, talks on the phone March 1 with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Troops stand guard in Balaklava on March 1.
Heavily armed soldiers displaying no identifying insignia maintain watch in Simferopol on March 1.
People gather around the coffin of a man who was killed during clashes with riot police in Independence Square.
Pro-Russian activists hold Russian flags during a rally in the center of Donetsk on March 1.
Pro-Russian activists clash with Maidan supporters as they storm the regional government building in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on March 1.
A protester stands at a memorial March 1 for the people killed in clashes at Independence Square.
Armed men patrol outside the Simferopol International Airport on Friday, February 28.
An image provided to CNN by a local resident shows Russian tanks on the move in Sevastopol.
Russian troops block a road February 28 toward the military airport in Sevastopol. The Russian Black Sea Fleet is based at the port city.
Armed men stand guard in front of a building near the Simferopol airport on February 28.
An armed man wearing no identifying insignia patrols outside Simferopol International Airport on February 28.
Police stand guard outside the Crimea regional parliament building Thursday, February 27, in Simferopol. Armed men seized the regional government administration building and parliament in Crimea.
Police intervene as Russian supporters gather in front of the parliament building in Simferopol on February 27.
A man adds fuel to a fire at a barricade in Independence Square on February 27. Dozens of people were killed during clashes between security forces and protesters.
Pro-Russia demonstrators wave Russian and Crimean flags in front of a local government building in Simferopol on February 27.
Barricades in front of a government building in Simferopol on February 27 hold a banner that reads: "Crimea Russia." There's a broad divide between those who support the pro-Western developments in Kiev and those who back Russia's continued influence in Crimea and across Ukraine.
Protesters stand in front of a government building in Simferopol on February 27. Tensions have simmered in the Crimea region since the ouster of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.
Protesters in support of the president's ouster rally in Independence Square, which has been the center of opposition, on Wednesday, February 26.
Security forces stand guard during clashes between opposing sides in front of Crimea's parliament building in Simferopol on February 26.
Pro-Russian demonstrators, right, clash with anti-Russian protesters in front of a government building in Simferopol on February 26.
A police officer gets pulled into a crowd of Crimean Tatars in Simferopol on February 26. The Tatars, an ethnic minority group deported during the Stalin era, rallied in support of Ukraine's interim government.
A man places flowers at a barricade near Independence Square on February 26.
On February 26 in Kiev, a woman holds a photograph of a protester killed during the height of tensions.
Police guard a government building in Donetsk on February 26.
Protesters remove a fence that surrounds Ukraine's parliament in Kiev on February 26.
People sing the Ukrainian national anthem at Independence Square on Monday, February 24.
Gas masks used by protesters sit next to a barricade in Independence Square on February 24.
A woman cries February 24 near a memorial for the people killed in Kiev.
People wave a large Ukrainian flag in Independence Square on Sunday, February 23.
Two pro-government supporters are made to pray February 23 in front of a shrine to dead anti-government protesters.
A man and his daughter lay flowers at a memorial for protesters killed in Independence Square.
Former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko speaks at Independence Square on Saturday, February 22, hours after being released from prison. Tymoshenko, considered a hero of a 2004 revolution against Yanukovych, was released after 2½ years behind bars.
Tymoshenko is greeted by supporters shortly after being freed from prison in Kharkiv on February 22.
A protester guards the entrance to Yanukovych's abandoned residence outside Kiev on February 22.
Anti-government protesters guard the streets next to the presidential offices in Kiev on February 22.
Anti-government protesters drive a military vehicle in Independence Square on February 22. Many protesters said they wouldn't leave the square until Yanukovych resigned.
Ukrainian lawmakers argue during a session of Parliament on Friday, February 21.
Men in Kiev carry a casket containing the body of a protester killed in clashes with police.
Protesters cheer after news of an agreement between the opposing sides in Kiev on February 21.
Former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych: Ukraine has been in chaos since February, when Yanukovych was ousted after anti-government protests turned deadly in the capital of Kiev. The demonstrations started in late November, when Yanukovych spurned a deal with the European Union, favoring closer ties with Russia instead. The Ukraine Parliament voted Yanukovych out of power on February 22, and he fled to Russia. But in a recent news conference, the former President insisted he was still the boss and that he wants nothing more than to lead his country to peace, harmony and prosperity.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk: Ukraine's interim prime minister has urged Russia to pull back its military, warning that the two countries were "on the brink of disaster." The comments came as a convoy of Russian troops rolled toward Simferopol, the capital of Crimea, a day after they took over the strategic Black Sea peninsula without firing a shot. "There are no grounds for the use of force against civilians and Ukrainians, and for the entry of the Russian military contingent," Yatsenyuk said. "Russia never had any grounds and never will."
U.S. President Barack Obama: Obama has said any violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity would be "deeply destabilizing," and he warned "the United States will stand with the international community in affirming that there will be costs for any military intervention in Ukraine."
Crimean Prime Minister Sergey Aksyonov: Aksyonov was installed as the prime minister of Crimea after armed men took over the Crimean Parliament building in late February. The pro-Russian leader asked Putin for help in maintaining peace on the Black Sea peninsula where Russia's fleet is based. Security forces "are unable to efficiently control the situation in the republic," he said in comments broadcast on Russian state channel Russia 24.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov: At a U.N. human rights meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, Lavrov brushed aside claims that Russia's troop movements were an act of aggression. "I repeat: This is a matter of defending our citizens and our compatriots, of defending the most important human right -- the right to life," he said.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon: Ban dispatched a special envoy to Ukraine on Sunday, March 2, a spokesman for his office said. The United Nations has warned Russia against military action, while Ban told Putin "dialogue must be the only tool in ending the crisis."
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry: America's top diplomat has condemned what he called Russia's "incredible act of aggression."
Speaking on the CBS program "Face The Nation," Kerry said several foreign powers are looking at economic sanctions against Russia if Russia does not withdraw its forces.
Ukrainian President Olexander Turchynov: Turchynov became acting president of Ukraine after Yanukovych's ouster. Like Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, he has warned that any Russian military intervention would lead to war.
Ukrainian opposition leader Vitali Klitschko: The former heavyweight boxing champion -- and brother of current champion Wladimir -- is probably the most well-known figure representing the Ukrainian opposition to Yanukovych. He heads the Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reforms party, but the opposition bloc goes well beyond Klitschko and that party.
Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko: Tymoshenko, considered a hero of a 2004 revolution against Yanukovych, was released in late February after 2½ years behind bars. In an exclusive interview with CNN, Tymoshenko called on the world to help Ukraine: "If Ukraine is left on its own and is given to Russia, then the world will change. Not only politics and life in Ukraine will change -- the politics and life will change practically everywhere in the world."
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev: In a post on his official Facebook page, Medvedev called Yanukovych's ouster a "seizure of power." "Such a state of order will be extremely unstable," Medvedev said. "It will end with the new revolution. With new blood."
German Chancellor Angela Merkel: Merkel's office said Putin had accepted a proposal to start a political dialogue and establish a "fact-finding mission" to Ukraine, possibly under the leadership of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.
British Prime Minister David Cameron: Cameron posted on his verified Twitter account that he and Obama were in agreement that "Russia's actions are unacceptable and there must be significant costs if they don't change course."
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