Stage of Observation

President Bush’s European tour, NATO summit in Brussels, European Union summit in Geteborg, and other events, including the meeting of Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin, leave a strong impression. Ukraine’s role is gradually being transformed from a potentially important subject of European policy into an observer who is given the opportunity to view the process from a short distance, as at the meeting of the Central European presidents in Italy or of defense ministers in Greece. It is given an opportunity of free communication with the actual participants of the process but is in no way allowed to partake in it.

One can hardly say that Ukraine does not make efforts to somehow blend into the common European picture. There are some suggestions regarding our engagement in creating the European rapid reaction forces. There are some declarations about building a European energy system. There are some moves to the effect that the ABM Treaty problem not be solved without our participation.

Yet the results are far from satisfactory. When it comes to new schemes of European energy supply, Kyiv has spent several years to convince itself that Odessa-Brody pipeline has promise, without burdening itself with thorough studies of the potential markets and search for real partners. Incidentally, German political scientist Alexander Rahr considers this line to be quite promising and in line with the common European strategy. However, in the problem of bypassing pipelines, as well as lost cooperation in the An-7X project and partaking in peacemaking operations, Kyiv basically just observes. Maybe it just waits for the problem to solve itself.

The observer’s position has an inherent disadvantage. The result is that the country, whose leadership looks unable to react in a clear and adequate way to either internal or outside challenges, is not taken into consideration anymore. And after that it will be too difficult to make the words about “a very important European country” reality. Nevertheless, perhaps precisely this result was awaited — however, somebody has to understand that neither Bush, or Putin, or Shroeder, or Blaire will take the responsibility from Ukraine to find its place and importance. And when Bush and Putin solve their problems without considering Ukraine, this is the only adequate appraisal.