EDITORIAL: Ukraine and Russia agree (06/08/97)

EDITORIAL

Ukraine and Russia agree

Russian President Boris Yeltsin's visit last week to Kyiv - his first presidential visit to independent Ukraine after six previously scheduled trips and as many no-shows - marked a highly significant milestone in relations between the two states. On May 31 the Russian president and President Leonid Kuchma of Ukraine signed the long-awaited, much-discussed Treaty on Friendship, Cooperation and Partnership.

The treaty covers diverse facets of the problematic, sometimes acrimonious Ukraine-Russia relationship, ranging from military to cultural matters. But, most importantly, via the document Russia, finally, has formally recognized that independent Ukraine exists. "Ukraine is an independent country, and we will hold this premise sacred," said Mr. Yeltsin, adding that Russia has no claims on any part of Ukraine. The treaty provides for mutual recognition of borders and territorial inviolability. The treaty signing came three days after agreement was reached on division of the Black Sea Fleet, leasing of naval bays in Sevastopol to the Russian fleet and explicit recognition that Crimea and Sevastopol are Ukrainian territory.

Mr. Yeltsin characterized the act as the beginning of "a new era" in bilateral relations, while Mr. Kuchma said, "This was an event of huge importance that opens a new stage in relations between our two countries."

The U.S. also welcomed the accord. The State Department said it "signals a further step toward good normal relations between the independent democratic nations of Ukraine and Russia ... We welcome the fact that with this treaty each side reaffirms its commitment to respect each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity."

It should be noted that several warning signals, however, appeared on the horizon. Speaking at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Kyiv on May 30, President Yeltsin promised that Russia would defend Ukraine in an emergency. Volodymyr Horbulin, secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, explained later that day that, "Even though President Yeltsin may have had good intentions, this was never requested by the Ukrainian side." (Ukraine by now knows it better beware of "brotherly intentions.") Perhaps this was Mr. Yeltsin's way of saying to Ukraine, you don't need NATO. Then came grumblings from Moscow Mayor Yurii Luzhkov who groused: treaties/shmeaties, Sevastopol is and will be Russian. And, there were other gripes emanating from Russia - even after the signing of the friendship treaty - about the "anti-Russian hints" in the NATO-led "Sea Breeze '97" exercises scheduled to take place off the coast of Crimea.

In related news, two days after NATO leaders and Russia signed the Founding Act on mutual cooperation and security, NATO and Ukraine initialed their own pact, giving Ukraine a "presence" in the alliance. In recent days there were other major developments in Ukraine's foreign relations: a reconciliation agreement with Poland (May 21), and border agreements with Belarus (May 13) and Romania (June 2).

And so, it was a busy few weeks, as Ukraine ironed out its relations with all its neighbors - large and small. The culmination came when independent Ukraine finally succeeded in having its largest and most powerful neighbor acknowledge its existence on the world map. Markian Bilynskyj of the Pylyp Orlyk Institute put it another way: "This is the first time we can see Russia treating Ukraine as a foreign policy issue, rather than a domestic one."

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