«There is not a single issue between Ukraine and Russia,
about which there is no agreement at the presidential level,» said Leonid
Kuchma. By far the best illustration of this is the visit of Prime Minister
Valery Pustovoitenko to Moscow with no apparent results. Perhaps, however,
the Ukrainian premier's fantastic statement that Ukraine will enter the
third millennium without debts to Russia's Gazprom will be considered a
result.
It has been said for six months that Ukraine will be supplying
its goods to Russia as payment of a part of its Gazprom debts. They even
say there is a high-level agreement that these goods will be supplied at
Russian domestic prices. A relevant document was prepared, but never signed,
in this connection. First Deputy Premier Anatoly Kinakh promises it will
be signed by March 20. Before then, the two countries must settle the problems
of price formation. Does it mean they will do in a few days what they failed
to do in six months? Who knows, somebody may really believe it.
It seemed the problem of Russia's purchase of several Ukrainian
Tu-160 strategic bombers again became the subject of talks at the end of
July. Both Kyiv and Moscow spoke about the possibility of ditching the
ten or eleven planes Ukraine does not need as combat aircraft. Talking
to Mr. Pustovoitenko, Russia's new Prime Minister Vladimir Putin simply
said that «we do not quite understand whether or not we need these planes.»
This obviously runs counter to the Ukrainian authorities' optimistic statements
that everything will be all right, that the planes will also be handed
over as payment of gas debts, the only problem being to do it so that no
one could accuse Ukraine of going back on its international commitments
in the arms trade. Accordingly, the probability of Blackjacks flying over
to Russia a part of Ukrainian debts is dwindling with every passing day.
So is the probability that the Ukrainian-Russian free-trade treaty signed
a few years ago will ever be fulfilled: this was not discussed at all at
the Saturday meeting in Moscow.
There also are agreements on the budgetary funding of the
An-70 transport aircraft project, but still, according to Auditing Chamber
of Ukraine head Valentyn Symonenko, no governmental funds have been in
fact allocated by both Ukraine and Russia. But agreements will hardly replace
money.
The «good tendency» Mr. Kuchma traced in the Ukrainian-
Russian relations must be in the high frequency of meetings. Our premier
does not see another neighboring premier for years. The results are still
the same: two-way trade declines with each passing year (we are told that
the world and Russian financial crises are to blame), there is no investment,
the problems earlier agreed upon by the presidents are being accumulated
rather than solved, and the Turkmenbashi (president of Turkmenistan
—Ed. ) even promises to declare Ukraine bankrupt.
It is extremely difficult to believe that Ukraine will
be able to pay off its old natural gas debts and not incur new ones, for
until now the whole recent history of Ukraine has testified to the contrary.
And it is somewhat hard to wear a decent mien, let alone pursue an independent
policy, with billions in debts unpaid.
Today's Ukrainian rulers obviously believe more in the
Kremlin's support than in their own ability to work normally. It is not
accidental that the Moscow meet of premiers was followed by comments about
the need for cadre stability in both countries.
Mr. Putin is expected in Kyiv in a month's time, maybe
even with some results.







