Agreements without results

«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.