Says Jon Purnell, US State Department Representative

After the recent statements made by US State Department representatives, many in Ukraine have come to the conclusion that the policy of the new US administration toward Ukraine has become more tough. Is this so?

One of the reasons that we have come here to Kyiv right now is to talk to Ukrainians about the views of the new administration. And the real essence of the message is that the fundamentals of the United States’ attitude have not changed. What I mean is that the United States’ policy continues to be based on support for a free, democratic, and prosperous Ukraine. And when I say prosperous Ukraine I mean that Ukraine’s prosperity be based upon genuine economic reform which leads to genuine sustainable prosperity.

Can we say that, in spite of preserving fundamentals in the policy of the new administration toward Ukraine, there will be some changes in nuances?

The challenge that Ukraine and the United States will face in their bilateral relationship is the challenge to continue the pace of economic reforms, because our ability to work with Ukraine and assist it on a practical level is directly dependent on the pace of reform in Ukraine. So that will be the determining factor of the extent of our ability to address the practical economic problems that it faces today. Certainly we look forward to continuing that work and making as much progress as possible.

According to which criteria do you think it will it be possible to judge if Ukraine indeed has made changes toward building a democratic market society?

I think that the criteria are very clear and fairly well understood if you will be within the international community. We are talking about the basic elements of respect for fundamental freedoms: freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, freedom of religion — basic universal human rights. By democratic process I think we also have to place special attention on the commitments that all member states of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe have undertaken: democratic process, democratic norms, and obviously respect for the rule of law is a very important element in any social development. In the time that I’ve been here I’ve heard many different points of view from people within Ukraine about the current situation and the degree to which these elements are respected and not respected, and people have different opinions.

Does, in your opinion, the current development of the situation in Ukraine answer those criteria?

I think that there is no question that Ukraine is going through a critical moment right now. I had an opportunity here to meet a wide variety of people and wide variety of opinions, and I have full respect for all of them.

Did you always share the opinions you heard?

It would have been impossible to agree with all of them because I heard opinions that were entirely contradictory.

And ultimately it’s going to be for Ukrainians to make a kind of judgment like that you are asking. I do think it is worthwhile to say that the decisions that are being made now in Ukraine with regard to the current political situation will have a real affect on Ukraine’s future.

It is well known that Ukraine supports the same ideals and the same goals that we spoke about earlier: human rights, human freedoms, etc. What Ukraine now faces is perhaps its greatest test of how it translates its commitments to a set of principles into concrete action. And that is always a challenge to any state.

Have you learned any new information in course of your visit? What recommendations will you make to top US officials for organizing the scheduled visit of Foreign Minister Zlenko?

As to what I learned here in Ukraine, it was most important, because it gave me an opportunity to hear at first hand such a wide variety of views and opinions. I was able to participate in discussions with very thoughtful serious people and I’m able to come away with a better feel for the complex nature of the situation. Certainly I will be conveying those impressions to people when I get back to Washington. I guess my recommendations would be that they should see the meeting with Foreign Minister Zlenko as an opportunity to hear his own assessment, his own vision for Ukraine, an opportunity to discuss this issue in terms of the values that both of our countries share and how they will affect the future of Ukraine.

Could you outline what are major unresolved problems in our bilateral relations?

The kind of issues that we need to come to grips with have to do with practical matters of economic reform. The most recent example that comes to mind is the question of intellectual property rights. This problem has many forms but the form that most of us is familiar with is making illegal copies of video cassettes and compact diskettes.

The United States Trade Representative has only recently identified Ukraine as a priority foreign country, and unfortunately this means that there is a possibility of trade sanctions being imposed on Ukraine because of the continued high level of violation of intellectual property rights.

Are there any other potential problems which could the US-Ukrainian relationship to deteriorate? There are all kinds of problems out there. We need to work hard to improve the investment climate in Ukraine, not just so that American investors can work here but also so that domestic business can flourish.

Is it possible that the development of the internal situation in Ukraine could lead to deterioration of the bilateral relations?

It is always difficult to speculate. I assume you are referring to the current political crisis in Ukraine. This is an issue that Ukrainians themselves must deal with. Our position has been very clear and consistent from the start. We have always supported a thorough and transparent investigation into the disappearance of Mr. Gongadze. We have repeatedly tried to emphasize the fundamentals that are key to successfully addressing this problem — respect for human rights, freedom of expression, for the media, and the rule of law. If we can keep those elements in the forefront, then Ukrainians themselves can successfully deal with the situation.