“We must increase aid to Ukraine”

A coalition of pro-Ukrainian organizations in the US, known as the Ukrainian Working Group, wants to take advantage of the recent budget deal between the US President and Congress to significantly expand financial, military, and humanitarian support for Ukraine. This, in particular, is outlined in the letter the coalition sent on October 29 to the leaders of the Committees on Appropriations of the US Senate and House of Representatives, which was signed by representatives of 18 US-registered organizations representing the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, the Baltics, Armenia, Georgia, Belarus, and Ukraine.

“The ongoing crisis in Ukraine – its courageous efforts to reform while resisting Russian aggression and its attempts to secure a transformation to an independent, democratic, economically vibrant nation – demands immediate expansion of US support,” the appeal’s signatories stress. They note also that they represent 22 million Americans of Central and Eastern European descent who firmly believe that bolstering Ukraine’s security and independence is vital to ensuring Central and Eastern Europe security, prosperity, and freedom.

“We urge immediate action on a comprehensive US aid package to help the people of Ukraine address priority economic, security, and humanitarian relief needs. Based on our knowledge of the situation, we believe this package should include:

♦ 3 billion dollars in economic assistance: comprising loan guarantees, direct budget support grants, or debt swaps as well as assistance to support reforms in key sectors, such as banking, judiciary, and energy, and to encourage investment in Ukraine;

♦ 1 billion dollars in military equipment and training support, including defensive lethal assistance as required by the Ukraine Freedom Support Act;

♦  a minimum of 200 million dollars in additional immediate humanitarian aid to meet the funding gap identified by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) as Ukraine grapples with 1.5 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) and over 5 million persons – including 1.7 million children       –  in need of immediate assistance;

♦  increased resources to support independent media facilitating delivery of free media content to Russian-speakers, and empowering non-governmental actors with a proven track record to confront Russian propaganda,” the letter emphasizes (http://www.politico.eu/ wp-content/ uploads/2015/10/Ukraine-Coalition-Letter_FINAL.pdf).

In conclusion, the authors noted: “The extended support outlined above will demonstrate America’s enduring support for ensuring a free and independent Ukraine. It will also send an important message to the nations of Central and Eastern Europe that the United States will stand resolutely against intimidation and in defense of a rules-based international system.”

Commenting on this letter and its possible impact on increasing aid to Ukraine, including military assistance, former US ambassador to Ukraine, member of the American Council John Herbst told The Day: “This is an important letter which indicates the broad support existing in the US for the idea to greatly expand assistance to Ukraine. It will have a major impact on the Congress and, directly or through the Congress, will help to convince the administration to do more for Ukraine.”

COMMENTARY

“AMERICAN POLITICAL GOVERNANCE SYSTEM TAKES INTO ACCOUNT THE SIGNALS SENT BY ETHNIC COMMUNITIES”

Oleksandr TSVETKOV, Professor at the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Kyiv:

“As a factor, this letter is very important. This is because the American system, including its foreign relations and political governance subsystems, takes into account the signals sent by ethnic communities. The explanation is the fact that the US is a country of immigrants. While it is the Indian diaspora that enjoys the greatest influence in the Congress, the voice in support of Ukraine is growing louder by the day. Why? Because events such as those occurring here challenge the US agenda.

“Not only our community, but others as well, have a stake in maintaining the international order. As long as it holds, the countries which they or their families have left can develop peacefully. People see this as a contribution of the American people and government to supporting stability in the Old World. For these communities, Ukraine is increasingly an indicator of security, which affects the interests of other countries too.

“Typically, such support is aimed in a direction which is most critical at the moment. Currently, it is Ukraine. Helping it has found support among those who influence not only the executive, but the legislature too. More generally, it is believed that diplomats and practicing lobbyists need to work on the Capitol Hill, to attract the attention of US senators and congresspeople to the importance of this or that issue. This appeal is one of such channels of influence we need to work on to see aid flowing into Ukraine in defined amounts as soon as possible. I think that this appeal and similar actions deserve our earnest support.

“This letter of appeal has no direct effect, but people make calculations and assess the number of votes it may represent; in other words, they try to establish how numerous are the communities which support it and whether it concerns a large stratum of US citizens, and then make their decisions accordingly. By analogy with other such appeals, these votes are accumulated in a piggy bank to lobby for this decision in the US government circles.”