Not so long ago Western experts declared that the Ukrainian scandals would not affect the international position of Ukraine since they belong to the sphere of its internal affairs. The situation began to change before our very eyes: US State Department spokesman Richard Baucher in particular has already made public two statements containing hints that everything will in fact depend on how Ukraine behaves at home, how democratically the conflicts between the authorities and opposition are settled, and how the problem of the freedom of the press is solved. There have been statements of the European Union and Council of Europe representatives in the same vein.
The fact that Ukraine has problems with democracy as a whole and freedom of the press in particular is no news and no wonder. The situation at large does not differ radically from what it was three or four years ago. What differs is the official position of the West, and this is what provokes doubts in the sincerity of its representatives. The United States and Western Europe today, it seems, are doing everything possible to promote Ukraine’s maximum isolation from the outside world, dropping unambiguous hints that it should first pass a test in democracy. On the other hand — and this is frequently confirmed by Western experts — Ukraine has a unique opportunity to prove its significance to the world through its peacemaking activities. Such an opinion exists in Germany, Great Britain, France, and NATO headquarters. And this is precisely where the situation for Ukraine is the best possible, if Ukraine succeeds in making use of it. The first factor is the presidency of the UN Security Council at a time when tensions have again risen in the Balkans and hopes for peace at the Middle East seem to be lost. In both cases the need for an unbiased coordinator of international efforts is increasing. The second factor is that it is Ukraine, which could now achieve some progress in peace regulation in Transnistria and the Caucasus, plus taking part in peacemaking military operations. This is precisely what could now change, though perhaps not radically, the negative image of this country, which has not so much started as continued to take root among Western political leaders, experts, and the media. But Ukraine should not turn into a banal source of soldiers for hot spots. The chance for this does not seem minimal.
Usually people speak in an utterly different tone to those whom they respect and who can demonstrate their power. However, the problems that exist really do have to be solved and the shortcomings criticized.
