Public debate “The US for Ukraine: Partner, Patron or Ally?” which took place as part of the Institute of World Policy (IWP)’s presentation of its study “Foreign Policy Audit: Ukraine-US” on March 29, turned out to be very well-timed.
Firstly, it was held on the eve of President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko’s visit to Washington, where he will attend the Nuclear Security Summit and meet with senior US officials.
Secondly, it coincided with the Verkhovna Rada vote on the dismissal of Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin. It was precisely his dismissal which, as former US ambassador John Herbst noted in an interview with The Day, was to determine the success of the head of the Ukrainian state’s visit to the US, or lack thereof.
Thirdly, this research note should be helpful to the president; at least, he will have time on his hands during the flight to Washington to consult expert opinions on how to improve relations between the US and Ukraine.
It should be noted that the date of this presentation was set by serving American Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey R. Pyatt, and it was apparently well-calculated, for it was during the presentation that the prosecutor general was dismissed.
The research note’s author and director of the IWP Aliona Hetmanchuk said in her opening remarks that both sides needed to not only talk about common values, but also start discussions about common interests, which would ensure cooperation and true partnership, as well as prevent relationship from looking like a patron-client one.
Because Americans liked winners, she said, Ukraine needed to enact successful reforms, combat corruption, and reform the prosecution service, so as to become a winner and not a loser.
Moreover, Hetmanchuk added, fighting corruption was not an abstract idea, but rather a security issue because it was a security challenge. “People in Washington believe that if there was no corruption in Ukraine, it might have forestalled the Russian aggression,” the director of the IWP stated.
In her view, for the US to stay interested in Ukraine, the latter also needs to show itself not only as a consumer of security but as a contributor that adds to European security. Ukraine’s hybrid war experience will be helpful here, but its government must also keep talking of the danger presented by the inflow of Russian arms to Crimea, according to Hetmanchuk.
Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine Vadym Prystaiko promised to get this note delivered to the president. According to him, Ukraine should improve cooperation in certain segments, such as food security or space research, and do not forget about the war on terror.
Prystaiko offered a quite interesting interpretation of US President Barack Obama’s famous description of Ukraine as a client state that is trying to slip away from Russia. “We should not become someone’s client, but have to find a new partner instead and start to build a foreign policy based on interests and values,” the diplomat stressed.
According to him, Poroshenko’s visit to the last of Obama’s six legacy-building events, the Nuclear Security Summit, confirms that Ukraine is a responsible member of the international community and remains a nuclear weapons-free nation. “Ukraine is firmly convinced that nuclear weapons will not bring peace,” he stressed.
Ambassador Pyatt noted some progress made by Ukraine after the Euromaidan, in particular regarding the drive for energy independence, restoring security institutions, and reform of the police. But at the same time, he stressed that civil society should be vigilant and work to prevent a rollback. In particular, Pyatt stressed that Ukraine faced the challenge of combating corruption and building a strong democratic society. “Thus, we welcome today’s event in the Rada which dismissed the discredited prosecutor general. An important issue now is to determine his successor who would be able to win the trust of the people of Ukraine for their Prosecutor General’s Office,” the ambassador said.
President of the American Chamber of Commerce Andy Hunder listed three promising industries in Ukraine: agriculture, information technology, and energy. He also identified three main obstacles to business and investment as corruption, lack of rule of law, and red tape.
According to him, Ukraine may get multibillion investments flowing in provided it organizes proper investment process and holds transparent privatization. In addition, he said, security for employees and their families as well as predictability were chief preconditions for the expansion of US business presence in Ukraine. Should this happen, the businessman believes we can expect not only the arrival of new businesses, but also the return of companies that had a presence here before.
“Ukraine faces many challenges, but it will be the quality and speed of reforms that will determine the economic future of Ukraine,” Hunder said; he spoke and answered questions in excellent Ukrainian.
Responding to questions from audience, the American ambassador said that no matter who becomes the new president after the November 6 vote, US policy toward Ukraine would not change.
He also said that the US government did not conduct talks with the Kremlin on Ukraine over the head of Ukrainian leaders, and US policy toward Russia was to demand the latter’s compliance with the Minsk Agreements, which should not be implemented selectively. “We need to see withdrawal of Russian troops and weapons from Ukraine and release of hostages including Nadia Savchenko; it is provided in the Minsk Agreements and our conversation with the Russian government is centered on it,” the ambassador stressed.
Pyatt described as “ridiculous” all talk of a possible exchange of Savchenko who was illegally seized on Ukrainian soil for arms dealer Viktor Bout and Konstantin Yaroshenko who are held in US prisons.
