It is typical of the visit of Borys Tarasiuk, Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs to the USA that it was first time this year that Washington did not put strong conditions to Kyiv and did not express its disappointment of the economic and political situation in Ukraine. According to information agencies, the negotiations between Tarasiuk, Secretary of State Madeline Albright, and Secretary of Defense William Cohen completed with a "confirmation of broad prospects for bilateral cooperation." Moreover, as The Day's reporter was told unofficially, the Americans were deeply impressed by Tarasiuk's speech at Zbigniew Brzezinski's Center for International and Strategic Studies.
This year, coolness in the relations between Kyiv and Washington became more than obvious: the US Congress demanded the assistance to Ukraine from the American federal budget to be reduced, Albright ultimately forced Kyiv to give up its participation in the Iran project, Brzezinski during his tour to Ukraine talked openly of the Washington's disappointment in the situation with reforms.
The Ukrainian diplomats did not conceal the fact that diplomacy has become exhausted by itself because it has not been supported by changes first of all in economic and social spheres. Thus, Tarasiuk had to convince Washington that it was a number of economic decrees signed recently by President Kuchma which are to be a long-expected signal to prompt and irrevocable changes for the better.
It seems that Tarasiuk's debut in Washington was successful, although he did not get any specific promises. Apparently, there is a need for time and convincing evidence of the fact that Ukraine is really striving for reform and not for financing the next presidential campaign. However, there are hints in well-informed circles that Washington, having a substantial influence at the International Monetary Fund, is prone to support a new big IMF loan for Ukraine, and negotiations on quite specific topics are underway: in particular, not only on traditionally military-political but also on military-technical cooperation.
In general, the intensity of contacts can serve as the best evidence of an improvement in the relations. On July 22-23, when a session of Kuchma-Gore Committee is scheduled to take place in Kyiv, it is going to reach its highest level. In addition, two top Ukrainian delegations will visit Washington before then.
And hopefully, it will become clear at the meeting in Kyiv whether American investments will finally come to Ukraine, what will be the outcome of the anti-dumping cases against Ukrainian manufacturers in American courts like, and whether Turboatom will be able to compensate its losses from its pulling out of the Iran contract.
Reuters photo:
Borys Tarasiuk







