Turning the pages back... February 10, 2002 (02/09/03)

Turning the pages back...

February 10, 2002

Last year, when we marked the 10th anniversary of U.S.-Ukraine relations, our Kyiv correspondent interviewed independent Ukraine's first ambassador to the United States, Dr. Oleh Bilorus. The ambassador spoke about the difficult early days, as the fledgling state of Ukraine, which had been independent of Moscow for a mere eight months, arrived on the Washington scene on April 28, 1992. He also commented on the bilateral relationship 10 years later.

Editor Roman Woronowycz wrote that Ambassador Bilorus said that while he agrees that relations between the U.S. and Ukraine had progressed further since he left Washington, they had not realized their full potential. While he blamed the political crisis caused by the disappearance of journalist Heorhii Gongadze and the associated tape scandal, which paralyzed Ukraine for the first half of 2001 and eroded international confidence in the country, as one source for the setback in relations, he also identified the recent warming between Moscow and Washington as another problem. Dr. Bilorus said he felt U.S. authorities must stop putting so much emphasis on developing friendly relations with Moscow and spread their diplomatic efforts more equally among surrounding countries. "A new understanding is needed by the U.S. on Ukraine's role in the world as a strong European country and not a zone of foreign interest for its northeastern neighbor," explained Dr. Bilorus.

Dr. Bilorus also said that to get its economy moving in a European direction Ukraine must shed itself of the vestiges of the old economy and move from an accent on heavy industry to emphasizing high technology in its economic development.

Furthermore, he called on Europe to begin to accept Ukraine into its economic and political structures immediately, piecemeal if need be. "I believe the geometry of the new Europe without Ukraine is nonsense," explained Dr. Bilorus. "Sooner or later the leaders of Europe will have to return to Ukraine as one of its natural partners."

The ambassador said that, while relations with the United States would continue to ebb and flow, they would remain strong. He said the events that had transpired in diplomatic relations between Washington and Kyiv over the last 10 years make it highly unlikely that Ukraine would fail to eventually become a key fixture in the West. He also expressed a belief that the strength of the relationship was a result of those first uncertain days in Washington in 1992 when representatives of the two countries initially got to know one another at close range and set the foundation for the future.

Source: "Ukraine's first ambassador to the United States recalls the difficult early days," by Roman Woronowycz, Kyiv Press Bureau, The Ukrainian Weekly, February 10, 2002, Vol. LXX, No. 6.

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