Geoffrey PYATT: “The United
States is powerfully committed to Ukraine’s success, Ukraine’s democracy, and
Ukraine’s prosperity”
Mykola Siruk
3 September, 2013
Geoffrey Pyatt, the new US
Ambassador to Ukraine, had a very active and quite original start in his
diplomatic office in Ukraine. Prior to his arrival to Ukraine, he published a
video address to Ukrainians in which he emphasized that he would be constantly
using social networks for communication. What was more unusual in comparison
to, for example, the Russian ambassador, who seizes every opportunity to
popularize Russian history, was that the American ambassador said he was
studying Ukrainian and was interested in the history of Ukraine. From day one,
he has put his words into actions. Pyatt has already visited several museums
and even published a video blog after a visit to the Oles Honchar Museum. For
Ukraine’s Independence Day, he sang “Chervona ruta” together with the embassy’s
staff and posted the recording on the embassy’s website.
“You presented me so
gorgeously in your paper. So how could I not take an opportunity. Fantastic,
Fantastic, thank you so much.” Such comments he made when The Day had given to
himмthe book The Power of the Soft Sign and Route No.1 with our project “101 reasons
to love Ukraine.”
“This morning I was glad to
see you put doctor King on the front page. I am already learning about your
history. I was so interested when I visited the World War II museum. I knew
about the Paton bridge but I never realized that Paton bridge – the connection
it had to the welding machine that Paton laboratory invented which did electron
welding which is what enabled the construction of these long metal bridges. So
this is great. I will read this with great interest. Thank you.”
Mr. Ambassador, you’ve said
that your top priority is to support Ukrainian people’s European choice and
that this will be your “main focus all the way up to the Vilnius Summit.” How
can the United States help Ukraine concretely so that the Ukrainian government
indeed walks into the door that Europe keeps open for Ukraine, or in other
words, Association Agreement is indeed signed in Vilnius?
“Right. Thank you for the
question. Thank you for correctly reflecting the priority that I have placed
and my government has placed on supporting the Ukrainian people’s European
choice. And I would emphasize, to begin with, that my role is to support a
decision that the Ukrainian government has made – and the Ukrainian people have
made – to move ahead to, as you say, walk through the door that Europe is
holding open. It’s notable to me that in a very divided political environment,
this is one of the issues on which there is broad agreement across the
Ukrainian political spectrum. The president, the various opposition parties all
agree that it is important to take advantage of this opportunity which the
Association Agreement provides. In terms of what United States can do, I would
flag a couple of things. And I hope you noticed the statement which President
Obama put out on the occasion of the 22nd anniversary of Ukraine’s
independence, where he emphasized his support for Ukraine’s European future. So
I think what we can do is twofold. One is to contribute to the debate which is
taking place here around the benefits of the Association Agreement. And
on this I look forward to working with my European colleagues, but it’s very
clear to me that our common hope to see Ukraine developed as a modern
democratic prosperous state can only be advanced by progress with the Association
Agreement. And that means fulfillment of the conditions that Europe has
established. I’ve said before that we see the Association Agreement and we see
Vilnius not as an end state but as a marker on the road to building this modern
state. I welcome the opportunity to engage with Ukrainian politicians, to
engage with Ukrainian society on the benefits that we believe Ukraine will
enjoy from signing the Association Agreement and securing the Deep and
Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement. In terms of economic growth, in terms of
economic opportunity, there would be clear benefits to Ukraine associating
itself with the world’s largest economic bloc. Another area where we can help
is with your other big neighbors. And in this regard, let me underline that we
share the view of our European partners which was annunciated in Brussels that
it is simply unacceptable for any country to seek to block or prevent
Ukraine from moving ahead towards its European future. We see Ukraine as part
of Europe. We want Ukraine to move towards a closer institutional relationship
with Europe and I will do everything that I can with my colleagues here at the
mission to help advance that objective.”
Numerous articles have been
published in Western media recently about Ukraine choosing between the EU and
Eurasian Union. You had a meeting with President Yanukovych. Is your impression
that he is really pondering this choice?
“Let me say a couple of
things. I am going to be very protective of my private conversation with the
president and other senior leaders. So I have to be diplomatic about that. But
I will say that the president, like other leaders I have spoken with in
Ukraine, was very clear regarding the priority that he places on Ukraine’s
European choice. But I will also emphasize I do not see the issue as you’ve
characterized it as ‘either-or.’ It’s not Europe or Russia. It’s Europe and
Russia. And I like very much what Prime Minister Azarov said in his description
– and I believe it was in a Cabinet meeting – but I saw a press report of his
description of his conversations in Moscow. And he offered a view that in an
age of globalization, in an age of global economic connectivity, it is
illegitimate and inappropriate for anybody to try to build walls. And I agree
completely with the prime minister. I think the way to imagine this is that the
Association Agreement will open opportunities to deepen Ukraine’s social
economic and commercial ties to Europe, even while preserving the very
important historical, economic and people-to-people ties you have with Russia.
Ukraine
is in a fantastic position: has a border with four EU member states. It has the
opportunity to become the eastern frontier of a large European economic space
at the same time that it serves as Europe’s gateway to the Eurasian heartland
and Europe’s gateway to one of the most dynamic economic regions of the world
which stretches all the way to Shanhai and Vladivostok.
So, I do not think it’s
‘either-or’ – I think it’s ‘either-and,’ it’s Europe and Russia. But it
is very-very important to our vision of Ukraine’s European future that that
Association Agreement succeeds.”
These days, as you, probably
feel too, there is a fairly tense situation regarding Vilnius. Ukraine, on its
part, has not yet fulfilled certain conditions for signing the Agreement, plus
Russia steps up its pressure to make Ukraine join the Customs Union. In
addition, spy scandal erupted between the United States and Russia. Hence, some
experts are concerned that America may “swap” Ukraine for Snowden. And it seems
such concerns are not without merit: we have this kind of experience. These
were NATO summits in Istanbul in 2004 and in Bucharest in 2008, when Ukraine
was denied. Can something similar happen in Vilnius?
“I do not even want to give
that question the legitimacy of a serious answer because I do not see it as a
serious prospect. The US-Ukraine relationship stands on its own solid
foundation. The US-Ukraine relation is based on our strategic interests and our
convergent outlooks, and so I would discourage any suggestion of trades-off or
compromises in that agenda on the basis of other relationships. And let me
leave it at that.”
By the way, since you are
studying Ukraine’s history, don’t you think it was the West’s mistake not to
grant MAP to Ukraine and Georgia in 2008, which President George W. Bush
supported, and he visited Kyiv right before the Bucharest summit?
“I was not part of those
discussions. In 2008 I was living in Vienna and I was focused on things like
Iran and Syria, working closely with my European partners on that. But I wasn’t
part of these discussions in 2008 so really I do not think it would be useful
for me to speculate on that. But again, our agenda today stands on its merits.
And I am very-very confident of the United States’ commitment to fulfilling the
very large ambition that we have for our strategic partnership with Ukraine.
And my mission here in Kyiv is to seek to fulfill that ambition.”
We hear calls to live as
good neighbors with Russia, and we ourselves would have very much liked to have
mutually beneficial relations with the northern neighbor. According to the
Budapest Memorandum the United States and Russia are the guarantors of
Ukraine’s security. Several days ago President Obama cancelled his summit with
President Putin in Moscow and announced a pause in the relations with Russia
which hasn’t been observed for quite a while in the US-Russia relationship.
What corollaries can this have for our nation?
“I would say two things.
Again, I will leave the question of US-Russia relations to Ambassador
McFaul and my other colleagues. But I am very-very confident of where we are on
US-Ukraine relations. And I can assure you there is no pause in US-Ukraine
relations, and in fact what I want to do is to hit fast-forward button, to use
your analogy, on the US-Ukraine strategic partnership and I think we have a
very good chance to do that as we look towards the Vilnius Summit and beyond.”
What do you think of the
article in Den by Edward Lukas “Syria Has
Proved That Russia Is not Our Friend” (http://www.day.kiev.ua/en/ article/syria-has-proved-russia-isnt-our-friend)?
In this light, how should the West treat Russia?
“I will leave Russia
to my good friend and colleague Ambassador McFaul. I am sorry, it simply is not
my place. But what regards Ukraine, I am very confident about the favorable
opportunities that we have ahead of us.”
It is known that the US has
taken a tough stance on Ms. Tymoshenko – although her case is not that simple.
Maybe, as you were getting ready for your Ambassadorial duty here, you attended
a Senate Committee hearing in May, where Representative Cohen raised the most
high-profile cases from the Kuchma presidency time – those of Gongadze,
Yelyashkevych, and Podolsky. It has been reported that criminal cases have been
started in Ukraine to pursue those who ordered crimes against the
abovementioned individuals. Do you consider pursuing those cases and bringing
the culprits to justice important of the development of Ukraine’s democracy?
“Let me say two things. I
paid very close attention to the Helsinki Commission hearing that Foreign
Minister Kozhara attended. And for the United States regarding the specific
issue that you raised of the Gongadze case, I read with interest the interview
that Myroslava Gongadze published. And I also have paid very close attention to
the wider issue of press freedom in Ukraine. You’ve read my other interviews,
so you know that I have said that Ukraine’s democracy and the continued
deepening of Ukraine’s democracy is the bedrock of our bilateral strategic
partnership. It is the foundation on which everything else is constructed. And
in that regard, questions of media freedom and the fact that you have a vibrant
media environment in Ukraine is one of the key attributes of our bilateral
relationship. So we are concerned about any steps which appear to be reducing
the space for media freedom. And we believe that it is important, in cases like
the Gongadze case which are of particular concern, that there be a complete
investigation. I know also that it has drawn the attention of the OSCE special
rapporteur for media freedom who I met with in my office in Washington,
probably a little less then year ago now. And I know that she has addressed the
Gongadze case as well. But let me emphasize for the United States: our broad
concern is with the principle of media freedom, where Ukraine has a good story
to tell. And it is important that we sustain and deepen that media freedom.”
Also, connected to the
previous question, another one involving Kuchma. In a recently released
documentary Battle for Ukraine by famous Russian (and formerly Hollywood) film
director Andrei Konchalovsky, Kuchma, remembering the time of the Orange
Revolution, says “It’s not me who governed poorly, it’s America who led people
out on the Maidan.” What would you say to this?
“I have not seen the film.
So I really cannot address it. I would come back to the point for United States
and me personally, one of the most inspiring things about Ukraine today is the
genuine democracy and the passionate commitment to democratic principles that I
have found among the politicians, among civil society, among the journalists.
You have the democratic DNA which allows you to build the modern European
democracy that we hope for. That is an enormously satisfying and attractive
characteristic. And I certainly will work in my tenure here to strengthen and
to consolidate that.”
It is great that your
support for Ukraine’s aspiration to true energy independence is a priority for
you. We welcome the presence of such important companies as ExxonMobil and
Chevron which plan to invest hundreds of millions of dollars into shale gas
development in Ukraine. But as we know, Russia has extensive experience in
countering US plans: for instance, in 2007, Russian task force attempted to
influence Czech public opinion, through Czech media, public and political
figures, concerning deployment in the Czech Republic of a radar as an element
of missile defense. Is the US prepared to face resistance to shale gas projects
in Ukraine? Do you see a way out of the situation after the Ivano-Frankivsk
Oblast Council vote that blocks the permission to develop shale gas there? Has
such contingency been foreseen?
“Well, as you saw in my TRK
Ukraine TV interview, my view on Ivano-Frankivsk is sign of the healthy status
of Ukrainian democracy. It is good that this kind of debates is happening. We
have had the same debates is the United States. I am very confident that as
these debates continue and as our companies have the opportunity to share with
political and civil society leaders what they are prepared to do, what the
experience has been in the United States. I think the US experience with
non-conventional gas is very important for the decisions that Ukraine will have
to make. This has been a game changer in the United States. It has helped us to
achieve greater energy independence. It has helped to drive employment in the
United States. It has helped to improve the competitiveness of American
companies. I am very optimistic that these new energy plays in Ukraine have the
potential to do some of the same which would be good for America, but it will
also be very good for Ukraine and it will be particularly good for the
communities that host these resources. And I look forward to visiting Lviv –
I will be there this weekend. I will be talking to political
leaders. I look forward to hearing their concerns. I will share with them some
of the lessons we have learned in the United States. But I know that this is an
important decision and I know that this is the decision which has important
long term economic benefits. Because what we are talking about here is
investments which will pay their benefits over years and years and have the
potential to generate – if the resources are found, if the gas is there the way
the companies expect, and if the government has the correct policies in place –
this could generate jobs and economic growth for decades and decades. So it is
in the same way that unconventional gas has been a game changer in America. It
has the potential to be a game changer in Ukraine. And I am not afraid of
having debate about that.”
You are sometimes referred
to as the rising star of US diplomacy, who can get things done, like in the
instance with huge commercial contracts. What do you consider to be your
success?
“You are very kind to say
this. I said in my swearing-in statement in Washington DC and I truly believe
this: I am in a business where the most important factor is the people. And my
most important responsibility is to lead the very large team of both American
and Ukrainian colleagues we have here at the embassy. So, you ask me, where do
I think I have been successful? Where I have been successful in the past and
will hope to do in my current role is to build a strong team of colleagues all
of whom draw on their strengths to advance the strategic objective of the
United States.”
What is the most important
task or objective that the US Government set for you to solve in Ukraine?
“My most important objective
is to fulfill the promise of the US-Ukraine strategic partnership, to advance
the three priorities I have talked about: Ukraine’s place in Europe, Ukraine’s
energy independence and the deepening of Ukrainian democracy. But all of that
happens under the umbrella of the strategic partnership which was launched by
Secretary Rice and President Bush’s Administration and was inaugurated by Vice
President Biden under President Obama. So it is a framework that the United
States has committed to at very highest levels of our government with a strong
sense of ambition.”
Can you share ideas about
how Ukrainian diaspora in the United States can be encouraged to invest more in
Ukraine, and what hampers this?
“Thank you for asking this
question. And I would say a couple of things. I see this as helping to
strengthen the ties at the people-to-people level between our countries. And
our strongest bilateral relationships are those which are focused at the people-to-people
level. Our new press spokesperson Yaryna is a perfect example – somebody who
has fluency in the language, who has family roots in Ukraine. I see this as
helping to build confidence. It helps us to understand better the challenges
Ukraine is working through. And also Ukrainian diaspora in America can help you
to understand what America’s agenda is here. I am deeply confident that Ukraine
has no better friend than America. The United States is powerfully committed to
Ukraine’s success, Ukraine’s democracy and Ukraine’s prosperity. And that comes
from the people of our country.”
You said you are interested
in deeper study of Ukrainian history. Can you tell us what books or textbooks
do you use to learn about our history?
“Right now what I am
finishing is Bloodlands which is a fantastic and sobering introduction to
the incredible violence that was inflicted upon this society first by Stalin
and then by Hitler. But also as you read that history you cannot help but be
inspired by the resilience of Ukrainian culture, the strength and endurance of
Ukrainian culture underneath these various external forces that came across the
country. So it is a very dark period of history, a dark period in Europe’s
history. But it is important to understand, so I have been working through
that.”
Do you know about researcher
of Holodomor James Mace, an American who worked at Den and whose studies
exposed Holodomor in Ukraine to the world [note – Den daily has a special
history section and a professor of history on staff who takes care of it; Den
published collections of history essays from this section as separate books].
“I have not read his works,
but I look forward to looking into them.”
Den has a special project
called “101 reason to love Ukraine” – what do you think of such an undertaking?
Maybe you can name a couple of reasons to love Ukraine?
“On people, I should say
since we are here at the American Embassy, I can’t help but name Sikorsky who,
of course, is somebody from Kyiv, who has made a huge mark on America and American
technology. Generally what I have been most impressed by so far is the people.
I have had a wonderfully warm reception. You can’t help but be impressed by
hospitality, the cultural richness of this society. I count that as a
highlight. It is also a beautiful country. I saw that in my second week in the
office, when I traveled to Crimea to meet with the President, much of which
looks like my home in California. But really I am very interested to travel all
over the country and to see the incredible resources and the fantastic people
that you have.”
When I have interview with
former ambassador John Tefft he told me that he used to get 5 e-mails with you
in a day. What have you asked him?
“Yes. Actually I will share
a secret. After I have moved out of my house in Washington DC, I was living
with my family at a hotel in Northern Virginia. It was the same hotel that
Ambassador Tefft was in. So we walked our dogs together and we had lots and
lots of conversations. And he impressed upon me the incredibly warm feelings
that he has from his time in Kyiv and the incredible importance that he saw
behind this particular moment in the country’s history. We, America, have made
a 22-year investment in our bilateral relationship with Ukraine. But we are
coming up on an incredibly important period now as we look towards the Vilnius
summit and the decisions that will be made around the Association Agreement.
So, we talked a lot about these issues.”
You’ve said you intend to
experiment with various social networks – Twitter, Facebook – and a blog in
order to explain American policy and to understand problems and expectations of
Ukrainians. Which of the received questions and comments from our citizens
strike you most?
“Very-very thoughtful
questions. The most inspiring conversations I have had in Ukraine have been
with the young people. There are so many impressive inquisitive inspiring young
people in this country today. It gives me a great deal of hope about Ukraine’s
future. I am focused on the social media: Twitter, Facebook, the videoblog – as
a way to better connect with that generation who usually does not read a
newspaper – they are getting their information in different ways. Some of the
questions are about visas and routine issues. But a lot of them are also about
America and what does America seek. I hope you saw the video that we did for
Independence Day which has gotten many-many views. But what was so interesting
to me was the warmth towards America in many of the comments. But also the
questions that emerged in comment strings about what is America’s agenda in
Ukraine. And I can be very clear: America’s agenda in Ukraine is to help
Ukraine achieve its vision as a modern prosperous democratic European state. A
lot of the questions focused around these issues. I am going to answer as many
of them as I can – some on video, some just on the Facebook, but we will be
very engaged across these different channels.”
Do you agree with
Christopher Hill about the role of twitter diplomacy? He recently wrote an
article by this name for Project Syndicate.
“I have not read Ambassador
Hill’s article, but I will take a look at it. I will be very honest with you. I
think sometimes there are not enough characters. Diplomacy, international
relations involve long abstract concepts. And sometimes that does not fit well
into the characters of a Twitter massage. But if it helps to have direct
connection, I will want to pursue it.”
By Mykola SIRUK, The Day
