The Obama administration sent Vice-President Joe Biden on yet another trip to Ukraine (his fifth as vice-president and his fourth since the Euro-Maidan) to reassure Kyiv that the U.S. stands with the people of Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression. The trip was meant “to provide a strong signal of our support for Ukraine in the face of Russia’s continued military intervention and support for separatism in the Donbas,” a senior U.S. administration official told the press on December 2. Furthermore, that official, speaking in a background briefing, sought to make it clear that events in the Mideast have not changed the U.S. commitment to Ukraine. “Nothing in our conversations with Syria impact our assessment that Russia continues to be the aggressor in Ukraine; that they continue to violate their obligations under the Minsk Agreement; that they continue to encourage the separatists, or at least not prevent the separatists from also violating their obligations under the Minsk Agreement.” It was also reiterated that sanctions will not be relaxed until Russia implements the provisions of the Minsk agreements.
However, Mr. Biden’s visit to Kyiv was also meant to underscore yet again that Ukraine must take serious action against corruption. It’s an issue that has been raised before by U.S. officials, more openly and forcefully, and with more urgency in recent weeks. Readers of this paper saw as much in the words of U.S. Ambassador to Kyiv Geoffrey Pyatt (see our issue dated November 15). And, those concerns are shared by activists and regular citizens of Ukraine. Zenon Zawada’s front page story in last week’s issue reported on a group of national deputies who had joined forces to form the Anti-Corruption Platform, as well as a group of civic activists and young politicians who wrote that they are no longer asking, but demanding a real battle against corruption, adherence to the rule of law and transparency of government.
According to a White House statement, at Mr. Biden’s meetings with national deputies who are considered to be reformers, civil society activists and government officials, “The vice-president and other participants spoke about the importance of anti-corruption, governance and economic reforms.” Those topics came up also in his meeting with President Petro Poroshenko – during which Mr. Biden announced $190 million in new U.S. aid to help promote what was referred to as “Ukraine’s ambitious reform agenda” (see the fact sheet on page 3) – and in his 35-minute address to the Verkhovna Rada
The vice-president’s heartfelt concern about Ukraine was evident in his post on social media about day two in Kyiv: “…along with U.S. Ambassador Pyatt, I was also able to visit a place that has become sacred to this city: An unofficial memorial to the ‘Heavenly Hundred’ – those killed in the Maidan protests of early 2014. …They came from all over, of all ages and backgrounds, all of them simply demanding a better future for their kids and their country. It’s a deeply moving and solemn place. And the people of this government have a sacred obligation to make sure these efforts for independence don’t fail again.”
In Kyiv, Mr. Biden also spoke about Russia’s aggression in Ukraine. “The United States stands firmly with the people of Ukraine in the face of continued – I emphasize, continued – aggression from Russia and Russian-backed separatists,” he said in a joint briefing with Mr. Poroshenko. Mr. Biden also underlined that the U.S. will never accept Russia’s annexation of Crimea, stating that this was an “invasion” and that “Crimea is still sovereign territory of Ukraine.”
The next day, he delivered a landmark speech (see page 3) to Ukraine’s Parliament. Those who watched the vice-president’s address, or a video of it posted on YouTube, knew that his words of concern about Ukraine’s people and the nation’s future were sincere. He modulated his delivery from a booming voice to a soft whisper-like tone, expressing the unacceptability of Russia’s actions in Ukraine and appealing to Ukraine leaders to do what’s right and “build a better future for the people of Ukraine.” Just reading the text of his remarks cannot begin to convey the strength of his message to the Rada and the people of Ukraine.
In another social media post about his trip, Vice-President Biden wrote: “I hope the members of the Rada accepted my candor in the spirit it was given. This is a country that has a second chance at establishing a genuine democracy. Many of the young people in this Rada were the ones filling the Maidan, raising their voices and demanding this of their government. Now, they are in a position to help make it a reality. And, they have two great threats right now: Russian aggression and endemic corruption. The United States is prepared to help them tackle both. And if they do, I have no doubt that this Rada will go down in history as the founding fathers of the first-ever united, democratic, genuinely free Ukraine. That’s my hope. And I believe in the people of Ukraine. I believe they will get this done.”
We fervently share that hope.