Trade is Over: Now, Will Tarasiuk Save Us?

After all, the United States and the leading European countries, when assessing their relations with a certain state, first of all apply the criterion of what kind of market there is for its products. The categories of market, trade, investments, and trade wars are gradually replacing the customary military and political confrontations, whether for good or ill. Well-developed trade becomes one of the most important guarantees of national security. Realities are changing and require adequate responses. To this end, Mr. Tarasiuk first visits Kharkiv and then Zaporizhzhia, and probably plans to go to the few other places in Ukraine that still have something to trade with the outside world. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs characterizes this as normal practice, while the Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations and Trade again makes no public comment, even after Mr. Tarasiuk suggests disbanding trade representations in our embassies. All efforts seem to be directed at one thing: Ukraine should have at least a semblance of foreign trade concentrated in the hands of one entity supervised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Trade diplomacy is what would be welcomed in Russia, the US, Germany and, say, South Africa. Accordingly, this might - should there be trade liberalization, a healthy initiative, and competition - bring Ukraine a little closer to Europe. It is not a question of a full lifting of state control, for, even in very developed Sweden, a foreign-ministry official is in charge of foreign trade.

Over-regulation, warped tax and customs legislation, and the arbitrary rule of civil servants are what Ukrainian foreign trade faces each time the politicians reach a basic agreement. Ukrainian diplomacy is still characterized by an inability or unwillingness to defend our national interests, seek new opportunities for sales, cooperation or winning tenders. This equally refers to relations with Russia, the US, and the European Union. Experts unequivocally characterize the current situation as disastrous, which perhaps made Mr. Tarasiuk travel around his own country, that is, to do a job those recently in charge of foreign trade were supposed to. But he is not omnipotent. And many would not really want either equal opportunities for all, or the same rules of the game, or, finally, a steady inflow of foreign capital, for people usually begin to think too much under better living standards. And there are many people in Ukraine about whom it is simply impossible to think well.