Noted on the presidential campaign trail
During a campaign stop at a town hall in New Hampshire on August 12, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a candidate for the Republican nomination for U.S. president, said the United States should be aiding Ukraine against Russian aggression. “For the life of me, I cannot understand why we are not giving the Ukrainians [the ability] to defend themselves against Putin and the Russians,” Gov. Kasich said. He explained that the Ukrainians should get the help they deserve. “They’ve been through hell over the course of their existence, and we’ve got to let them fight for themselves.”
Meanwhile, Republican candidate Donald Trump responded with blunt indifference to Ukraine’s possible membership in NATO. “I wouldn’t care. If [Ukraine] goes in, great. If it doesn’t go in, great,” Mr. Trump said in an interview with NBC on August 16. Mr. Trump also said that Europe should bear the brunt of the responsibility for standing up to Russia in the Ukraine conflict. “I don’t like what’s happening with Ukraine. But that’s really a problem that affects Europe a lot more than it affects us. And they should be leading some of this charge,” he said. At an August 14 campaign event, Mr. Trump said U.S.-Russian ties have become “pretty well-destroyed” under President Obama and that if elected, he “would have a great relationship with Russia and Putin.” Asked whether he would roll back sanctions against Russia, Mr. Trump said: “It depends, depends. They have to behave also.”
On the occasion of Ukraine’s Independence Day, two Republican candidates for the presidential nomination released statements.
Gov. Kasich’s message stated, in part: “The repeated violations of the Minsk ceasefire protocols must stop, efforts to erode the independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine must stop, and Crimea and Donbas must be returned to Ukraine. …the United States must do everything in its power to provide Ukraine with the means to defend itself. Congress gave the president the authority to help arm Ukraine – by large bipartisan majorities – but its requests to the U.S. for help have been denied. The Obama administration has even gone a step further and prohibited the sale of the defensive weapons systems Ukraine urgently needs. This must stop and we must help Ukraine protect its independence. That means providing the anti-tank, anti-aircraft and intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance systems it needs.”
In his message, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, said: “After 24 years of independence, I want to pledge unwavering support for an independent, sovereign and democratic Ukraine. Unfortunately, after unchecked Russian aggression and a lack of leadership under the Obama-Clinton foreign policy, Ukraine’s future remains unclear. Last week, Russian-backed separatists shelled civilians in eastern Ukraine, and rebel leaders declared they were preparing for a full-fledged war. As I said during the first debate earlier this month, America must provide Ukraine with the lethal military assistance needed to defend itself against Vladimir Putin’s power grab in the region.” Mr. Walker suspended his campaign in September.
Hillary Clinton, the former U.S. secretary of state who is a leading contender to be the next president, called for a stronger response to Russia’s actions in Ukraine and Syria, saying Moscow’s objectives were “to stymie, to confront and to undermine American power whenever and wherever.” In thinly veiled criticism of the Obama administration’s current approach to Russia, Ms. Clinton said that Washington should be doing more in response to Russia’s interference in Ukraine. “I have been, I remain convinced that we need a concerted effort to really up the costs on Russia and in particular on Putin. I think we have not done enough,” she said following a speech on September 9 at the Brookings Institution. “I am in the category of people who wanted us to do more in response to the annexation of Crimea and the continuing destabilization of Ukraine,” she noted. “We can’t dance around it anymore. We all wish it would go away.”
In other news…
On April 14, President Poroshenko dismissed Ukraine’s ambassador to the U.S., Oleksandr Motsyk, who had served in that post since June 2010, when he was appointed by then-President Viktor Yanukovych. Ukrainian news media speculated that his replacement in Washington would be Valeriy Chaly, deputy head of the Presidential Administration. Two days later, the U.S.-Ukraine Business Council hosted a farewell dinner for Ambassador Motsyk attended by more than 70 representatives of the U.S. government, prominent corporations, Washington think tanks and Ukrainian American organizations. Before the new envoy arrived, the Embassy of Ukraine was led by Chargé d’Affaires Yaroslav Brisiuck.
Finally, on August 3, Mr. Chaly presented his letters of credence as Ukraine’s ambassador to the U.S. to President Obama. Ambassador Chaly confirmed the invitation extended to President Obama by President Poroshenko to visit Ukraine. Mr. Obama said that relations between the U.S. and Ukraine today are stronger than ever and reaffirmed that the U.S. remains committed to supporting Ukrainian people.
American Peace Corps volunteers returned to Ukraine on May 20 following a program suspension of more than one year due to the conflict in the east. Seven volunteers were the first of what is expected to be a steady stream of new volunteers arriving in the coming months. The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv noted that enthusiastic government and NGO partners lobbied for the resumption of the program at this unique time in Ukraine’s history when American know-how is especially welcomed. More than 2,500 Americans have volunteered in Ukraine since 1992, when the program opened.
U.S.Embassy/Kyiv
Peace Corps volunteers arrive in Ukraine.
The U.S. State Department on December 14 issued a warning on travel to Crimea and the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine. The warning stated, in part: “The Department of State warns U.S. citizens to defer all travel to Crimea and the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, and recommends those U.S. citizens currently living in or visiting these regions to depart. …Russia-backed separatists continue to control areas in the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, where violent clashes have resulted in over 9,000 deaths. … There have been multiple casualties due to land mines in areas previously controlled by separatists, and separatist leaders have made statements indicating their desire to push the front line to the administrative borders of the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. Individuals, including U.S. citizens, have been threatened, detained or kidnapped for hours or days after being stopped at separatist checkpoints. …The situation in Ukraine is unpredictable and could change quickly. U.S. citizens throughout Ukraine should avoid large crowds and be prepared to remain indoors should protests or demonstrations escalate. …”