Ukraine’s domestic and foreign policies should be oriented toward the West, toward Europe and the United States. To orient toward Russia would be to doom the Ukrainians to eternal poverty, dependence, and inferiority.
Ukraine is definitely a European country. The time has come to stop wavering between the East and the West in order to save the country from becoming a buffer. And in order for the West not to look like an anvil (with Russia being the hammer), Ukraine’s leaders should make a clear declaration to our strategic partners about the European dimension of Ukraine’s future course and if need be support such a declaration with a voice of the people to be heard in a national referendum in favor of Ukraine’s European choice. And then Mr. Putin will be able to quietly view the wide sea expanses through his binoculars, with no one getting in his way due to sudden changes of political course. And no one will have any illusions as to Ukraine’s entry into the Russia-Belarus Union or its involvement in the CIS matters in the foreseeable future.
The participation of Western investors in the sale of Ukraine’s major enterprises meets Ukraine’s national interests to a larger extent, since one can hardly believe that Russian capital would pursue purely economic goals here. Russia’s oligarchs in one way or another are linked with political intrigue and backstage games which sometimes look like playing with fire. They are not Western businessmen whose behavior on the market is civilized and predictable. It is no secret that the United States would like to see some of Russian oligarchs prosecuted. Any expectations that Russia’s originally black market capital will save Ukraine’s economy cannot be justified by any moral considerations. Nor can they be justified by any economic considerations as this would merely aggravate old and bring up new problems. Are there any guarantees that Russian businessmen, as has happened more than once before, will not start teaching the Ukrainians how to run their Ukrainian store or that they will be strong enough to withstand the temptation to go into politics at some point to “protect” the Russian-speaking population?
Although, based on the practices and theories of the civilized world, an influx of any capital should come with no strings attached, one never really knows with Russia, since many of its past moves cannot be explained rationally. On the other hand, the dedication of Ukraine’s leaders to use Russian capital solely to the benefit of Ukraine should be taken with a grain of salt. In all probability, it would the Russian capitalists, not the Ukrainian government, who would be calling the tune while getting established in Ukraine.
Prior to inviting Western investors, the Ukrainians must create favorable conditions for their capital, enact legal guarantees, improve the country’s human rights record bringing it into conformity with Council of Europe standards, and to secure true independence of its law enforcement agencies.
Only a dedicated, consistent and resolute Western oriented domestic and foreign policy can correspond to Ukraine’s national interests.
