The following statement was released on August 3 by Ukrainian Americans for Biden. It was signed by members of the Ukrainian Americans for Biden Steering Committee, among them: Chrystia Balko Slywotzky, Orest Deychakiwsky, Marta Farion, Andrew Fedynsky, Irene Jarosewich, Khristina Lew, Ulana Mazurkevich, Adrian Slywotzky, Mark N.V. Temnycky, Halyna Traversa and Tania Vitvitsky.
Established under the Democratic National Committee’s National Democratic Ethnic Coordinating Council, Ukrainian Americans for Biden (UAB) is proud to have belonged to the coalition that elected President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to The White House. In December 2020, UAB provided the Biden Administration with a comprehensive set of policy recommendations regarding U.S.-Ukraine relations. With the recent announcement of the Biden-Zelenskyy summit to be held in Washington, D.C., on August 30, UAB again emphasizes the importance of certain recommendations.
The announcement that the United States will not oppose the completion of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline is deeply disappointing. The pipeline completion is not only a bad deal for Ukraine, but also for all of Europe. This decision should be reviewed since certain measures can still be enacted to ensure that NS2 does not become operational.
While the United States and Germany offered economic provisions to Central and Eastern European countries to compensate for the projected drop in transit revenue, national security matters were not substantially addressed. Fundamentally, NS2 is not an issue of increased energy supply to Europe, but one of increased threats to Ukraine’s national security. Robust support for Ukraine’s security as an independent nation within the 1991 borders is of vital interest to both Europe and the United States. The United States can best help by further assisting Ukraine in developing a comprehensive NATO-compatible security infrastructure over the longer term, and in the short term, expand defense cooperation and substantially increase military and security assistance in all forms to help Ukraine more effectively counter Russian aggression.
Ukraine’s stated goal is to become a member of NATO. Russia understands that with a war on its territory, Ukraine will not be accepted into the alliance; therefore, Moscow has no incentive to end the war. The initiative to end the war must come from the West’s support of Ukraine, led by the United States. Furthermore, there cannot be an agreement with Russia unless Ukraine is at the table. Ukraine, along with other Central and East European nations, must feel strengthened in its role as a member of Western political, economic and security alliances. There must be public recognition that even without being a member of NATO, Ukraine is actively defending NATO’s eastern and southern flanks.
In a broad effort to improve Ukraine’s national security, the United States and Germany should increase assistance to further reform Ukraine’s energy system, increase energy efficiency, develop alternative and cleaner forms of energy, and help Ukraine reduce dependence on carbon-based energy sources. Development assistance should provide multi-year support that includes government aid, as well as incentives for private investment, to build out long-range energy infrastructure projects.
The United States must reiterate support for the robust implementation of the Countering America’s Adversaries through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) and other statutes that authorize sanctions on Russia for the illegal occupation of Crimea and Russia’s continued aggression in the eastern regions of Ukraine. The role of Ukraine as a frontline defender of Europe, the ever-rising number of unnecessary deaths, widespread human suffering, and the admirable success in resettling 1.5 million IDPs [internally displaced persons] should be acknowledged through increased humanitarian assistance, with a specific focus on areas affected by Russia’s ongoing war in and against Ukraine.
For 30 years, the people of Ukraine have consistently chosen, and developed, a relatively stable, pluralistic democracy with aspirations to integrate more closely with Europe and Western alliances. The government and people of Ukraine must continue to be supported in efforts to combat systemic corruption and oligarchic control. Reform of the judiciary and the reinforcement of the rule of law must remain key priorities. Both Congress and the Biden administration should offer solid incentives to secure these aspirations. For the people and governments of Ukraine, the United States and Europe, a stable, independent, prosperous, democratic Ukraine, one free from Russia’s determination for empire, is and must continue to be the only goal.