Congratulations

Putin's visit to Ukraine is back on the agenda

Vladimir Putin called his Ukrainian counterpart Viktor Yushchenko yesterday and congratulated him on the successful resolution of the political crisis. Then the Russian leader, in a telephone conversation, congratulated Yanukovych on his appointment as prime minister. The Kremlin press service reported that “both sides expressed their intention to quickly begin a substantive discussion of current issues in bilateral relations.”

However, Vladimir Putin, who in 2004 rushed to congratulate Viktor Yanukovych on his victory in the presidential elections, this time George Bush was ahead of him in congratulating the Ukrainian leadership. A letter from Texas, where the US President is currently vacationing, reached Ukraine earlier than a phone call from the Kremlin. Bush, according to Mr. Yushchenko's press service, wrote that he understood the complex and tense process of forming a government and congratulated his Ukrainian counterpart on the fact that agreement had been reached through peaceful political means in accordance with the Ukrainian constitution. The US President immediately formulated a program for further relations with Kyiv. “I look forward to continuing our cooperation to help Ukraine advance economic reforms, strengthen energy security, fight corruption and deepen Euro-Atlantic ties,” he wrote to Viktor Yushchenko.

But the telephone conversation of Messrs. Yushchenko and Putin brought back to life the topic of the Russian President's visit to Ukraine. The last time Putin was in the neighboring state was in November 2004, when he personally supported Viktor Yanukovych before the second round of the presidential election. After the victory of the Orange Revolution, if the topic of a new visit arose, the Kremlin commented unequivocally: such a visit should be meaningful. And, they say, since Kyiv is trying to refuse the Common Economic Space, and pays for gas somehow, and is also unfriendly to Russian investors, then what kind of content is there?..

Yesterday, the press service of Viktor Yushchenko reported: “The conversation also touched upon the work of the Yushchenko-Putin commission. The head of the Ukrainian state noted that today a new government began work in Ukraine. In this context, the two leaders touched upon the upcoming visit of the Russian President to Ukraine, as well as the visit of the newly elected Prime Minister of Ukraine to the Russian Federation.” Yushchenko himself said back in early June that he would invite Putin to visit Ukrainian regions, and the visit could take place after the formation of a government.

Apparently, the Kremlin will continue to insist on “meaningfulness” and, to this end, will take the long route, first receiving Mr. Yanukovych in Moscow, and then starting preparations for a visit to the neighboring country. The duration of such preparation will depend on tactical tasks (when the task was to support Viktor Yanukovych in the presidential elections, Vladimir Putin demonstrated his mobility). However, surprises cannot be ruled out.

The Russian President is going on vacation to Sochi the other day, from where he may well make a quick visit to his neighbors. By the way, Viktor Yushchenko has been on vacation in Crimea since yesterday, and Mr. Yanukovych is “on business” in Kyiv.

Foreign Minister Boris Tarasyuk, who has retained his previous post in the new government and has gained a reputation as a pro-Western politician, believes that Prime Minister Yanukovych should make his first foreign visit to Moscow in order to “resume dialogue and begin solving problems.” The minister noted that “objectively, there is every reason to hope that the new government will be able to come to an agreement and cooperate with Russia on gas supplies.” According to him, the movement towards the EU and NATO does not at all contradict Ukraine’s participation in the Common Economic Space along with Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus, since all these foreign policy goals are fixed in the “Universal of National Unity” signed last week.

“Ukraine is plunging into a multi-vector approach in domestic and foreign policy,” Ukrainian political scientist Viktor Nebozhenko said in an interview with Vremya Novostey. -- Formally, the “orange” and “blue” camps have reconciled, dividing areas of responsibility. The president and the head of the Foreign Ministry will be responsible for foreign policy, and the prime minister will be responsible for domestic policy and for establishing relations with Russia.”

However, inevitable quarrels in the future between the heirs of the “Orange Revolution” of 2004 and supporters of Viktor Yanukovych will turn foreign policy into a hostage to internal “squabbles.” “Tarasyuk in Brussels and Washington will swear allegiance to the ideals of membership in the EU and NATO, and Yanukovych in Moscow will make promises to deal with the “presumptuous” head of the Foreign Ministry. All this will make forecasting Ukraine’s foreign policy terribly difficult,” the newspaper’s interlocutor believes.

Svetlana STEPANENKO, Kyiv, Ivan GORDEEV