About Face!

The statements pronounced the week before last were symptomatic at least. First came Presidential Administration Director Volodymyr Lytvyn with his statement in Moscow that Ukraine’s foreign policy is no longer multi-directional”. Which vector is now determined as the principal one Lytvyn did not say. This was done by head of state President Leonid Kuchma and not beyond Ukraine. According to him, it was a mistake to head for Europe only and separate ourselves from Russia. As it turns out, the integration of the EU countries should be counterbalanced by cooperation with Russia, for it is only the Russian leadership that has started doing concrete things, while all others just keep advising what to do and how. “Nobody in the West is waiting for us, and Russia was and remains our ally and partner.” Full stop.

Yes, the West has long advised Ukraine what should be done and how to attain the goal proclaimed by the president himself, Ukraine’s integration into European structures that would be crowned by its membership in the European Union. Perhaps, it has turned out that the laws by which European societies develop do not agree with the views and habits of the Ukrainian political elite or those who claim to be in that number. The West simply seems to not want to have Ukraine in its club exclusively for its favorable geographical location (which, in current conditions, is already almost a myth). But Russia – the only country that demonstrated moral (and not only moral) support for Ukraine during the tape scandal – is not laying down any conditions to the Ukrainian leadership but one: protection of its interests. Democracy, market, reforms, civil society in Ukraine do not interest anyone in Moscow – that might be a gross mistake of the Kremlin strategists. Because Russia has chosen to build a civil society with all its attributes, albeit controlled by the state at first. And if it succeeds, Ukraine would only be a burden for Moscow, just like what Lukashenka’s Belarus is already becoming. Incidentally, he foretold a few years ago that Ukraine would not achieve anything in the West and that it would ask for a place in the Russia-Belarus union. Things have not yet gone that far – perhaps because the union as such does not yet exist de facto. But the party of power, the For a United Ukraine election bloc of pro-presidential parties led by the presidential chief of staff, is more and more actively using a new slogan: “To Europe together with Russia.” Which is objectively absurd. Russia will not be a horse to carry Ukraine to Europe, because its foreign policy has completely different capacities, tasks, and functions. Nor would “Europe” accept such bids. And Ukraine would long remain a Russian province, unable to normally conduct an independent and realistic policy. No wonder that Ukrainian diplomats abstain from comment – they are, as usual, put in a quandary.

Actually, it does not much matter whether the Moscow vector is going to be longer, stronger, and brighter than all the others together. What does matter is that the quality of running the state, the possibility of doing business with it and to feel at least some trust in it have been determined clearly. And that is precisely what the country and its citizens will be judged by. And the question of its image and efforts to make it better will no longer have any relevance.