Ukrainian Americans meet with Clinton; discuss United States-Ukraine relations (02/20/94)

Ukrainian Americans meet with Clinton; discuss United States-Ukraine relations

WASHINGTON (UNAW) - President Bill Clinton met with leaders of the Ukrainian American community on February 10 to discuss U.S.-Ukrainian relations. Also at the White House meeting were Vice-President Al Gore, National Security Advisor Anthony Lake and Ambassador Strobe Talbott, whose nomination for deputy secretary of state is pending in the Senate.

Stating that "the relationships between the United States and Ukraine are at their strongest point since 1991," the president outlined the progress in economic, political and military relations between the two nations. He also mentioned that he had a "very good meeting" with President Leonid Kravchuk and is "looking forward to President Kravchuk's trip" to Washington on March 4.

Noting that the United States has "already approved and provided $175 million in assistance to facilitate the dismantling of the nuclear weapons," President Clinton stated that he expects "to almost double that amount when President Kravchuk is here." He also announced that "we had decided to double our bilateral economic assistance to Ukraine this year to more than $300 million." [The complete text of President Clinton's remarks appears on page 3.]

Julian Kulas, chairman of the Ukrainian Americans for Clinton/Gore Committee in 1992, pointed out that the Ukrainian American community can be a bridge to Ukraine. He stressed the community's great concern for the security of Ukraine, pointing out that "nations in Eastern Europe look to Ukraine as a stabilizing influence." Noting that "time is short," he urged that U.S. assistance be delivered to Ukraine as quickly as possible.

Mr. Kulas presented the president, vice-president and the other administration officials with a four-page position paper drafted by the community leadership. [The full text appears below.] On behalf of the community, he urged the president to sign the Charter of American-Ukrainian Partnership, Friendship and Cooperation during President Kravchuk's visit to the United States.

The president stated that he is very sensitive to Ukraine, noting that "the late of Ukraine is pivotal to any hopes of having a unified Europe" and that "all of Europe is very sensitive to the long-term security of Ukraine." He also argued that he opposed NATO membership for Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary because of his concern about what would happen to Ukraine.

Vice-President Gore stated that the community has been "extremely effective in getting the administration to focus on Ukraine," and he hopes that it will be as effective in trying "to get Ukraine to change its macro-economics."

Askold Lozynsky, president of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA), urged the administration to consider helping Ukraine create a safety net for people dislocated by economic reform. The president agreed with the need for such a program, and stated that the Czech Republic is probably a better model for reform in Ukraine than either the Russian or Polish model. He pointed out that slower privatization and more foreign investment are needed.

With the departure of the president and vice-president, Mr. Lake and Ambassador Talbott continued the discussions with the delegation. They were joined by Nicholas Burns and Rose Gottemoeller, both of the National Security Council staff.

National Security Advisor Lake stated that "inflation clearly has to be addressed," since it can kill Ukraine's economy and political system. In response to a question about linkage, he noted that support for the safety net was linked to economic reform but not to ratification of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). He added, however, that the signing of the charter was linked to NPT ratification.

Ambassador Talbott noted that Ukraine's security involves several layers and that it is "important for the Russian Federation to accept unconditionally that borders are inviolable."

In commenting on the meeting, Ulana Diachuk, president of both the Ukrainian National Association (UNA) and the Ukrainian American Coordinating Council (UACC), stated: "The meeting was a positive first step in the development of working relations between the Clinton administration and our community. We are looking forward to continuing this dialogue. Obviously, the positive steps that the administration has taken toward Ukraine are welcome, especially in light of the administration's focus on Russia only for the past year. We stressed and will continue to stress the need for the immediate release of the promised assistance for Ukraine. The situation in Ukraine has reached a critical state and economic assistance is urgently needed."

After the meeting UNA Washington Office Director Eugene Iwanciw stated: "The doubling of economic assistance to Ukraine to comply with the law passed last fall is a welcome development in U.S.-Ukrainian relations. There is, however, continuing concern about the lack of real security assurances for Ukraine. I have no doubt that the letters and telegrams from our community to the White House and Congress played a role in the convening of this meeting."

Other members of the Ukrainian delegation, numbering about 20, included UACC Vice-President and Ukrainian Fraternal Association (UFA) President Ivan Oleksyn, Bishop Basil Losten of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, Archbishop Constantine of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, Ukrainian National Women's League of America President Anna Kravchuk, Ukrainian American Bar Association President Walter Lupan and UCCA Washington Office Acting Director Yuriy Holowinsky.

The delegation was welcomed to the White House by Philip Lader, the deputy chief of staff for the president. Mr. Lader pointed out that he has Ukrainian ties, since his father had emigrated from Ukraine in 1910.

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