Section: Atlantic Council (USA)
Dutch Likely to Hand Putin a Major Symbolic Victory in Referendum on EU-Ukraine Association Agreement
There is something odd about the upcoming Dutch plebiscite on the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement. On April 6, the Netherlands will hold a national referendum on a treaty between Brussels and Kyiv that was signed in 2014 and ratified in 2015. Yet, the European Union and the European Community have, during the last sixty years, concluded dozens...
Actually, No. Russia and Ukraine Are Not Equally Delinquent When It Comes to Fulfilling Minsk
One of the most startling examples of the adage “there are two sides to every story” is the difference in perceptions over the implementation of the Minsk Agreements between Ukraine and Russia. Minsk, if handled in good faith, could be the roadmap to deescalate the war in Ukraine and bring peace to the region.In October, I wrote a...
What’s Behind the Resignation of Minister Abromavicius?
The resignation of Aivaras Abromavicius from the position of Minister of Economic Development and Trade is another nail in the coffin for the hopes for serious reform in Ukraine. In resigning, he follows in the footsteps of his predecessor Pavlo Sheremeta, who was also unwilling to serve in a government that was more interested in personal gain...
Putin Corners Himself in Ukraine. We Would Be Crazy to Placate Him Now
The recent backroom bilateral talks between the United States and Russia about Ukraine have caused anxiety in the region, raised hopes that sanctions could be lifted, and elevated Russian President Vladimir Putin’s status to super power level.All are counterproductive.Since the bilateral talks and optimistic statements by US Secretary of...
Why Do Ukraine’s Reform Ministers Keep Quitting?
February 3, Ukraine’s Minister of Economic Development and Trade Aivaras Abromavicius announced his resignation at a press briefing with a big bang that may unleash a political crisis and shake the country’s fragile finances.Abromavicius, a 40-year-old investment banker of Lithuanian origin, who has lived in Kyiv for many years as a...
Only Presidential Leadership Can Avert Ukraine’s Perfect Storm
The February 3 resignation of Ukraine’s Economy Minister Aivaras Abromavicius is a signal that the country’s efforts to dramatically reduce corruption and rent-seeking are meeting with serious resistance.The resignation also exposes how Ukraine’s political system works. Just as in established democracies, technocrats and experts...
Russian Propaganda in Ukraine: Fighting Phantoms
For Ukrainians, the war in eastern Ukraine has become an everyday reality. Only two years ago, though, no one in the country believed war was possible—and certainly no one expected that propaganda would be one of its main weapons.Since Ukraine’s independence in 1991, little attention was paid to building a system that would ensure the...
Thanks But No Thanks, Mr. Inozemtsev: A Response from Kyiv
What is wrong with Vladislav Inozemtsev’s recent opinion piece on how to help Ukraine?The problem with his article is not his advice itself, as flawed as it is, but the logic on which it is built. He uses the logic of imperialism, of an authoritarian state, of conspiracy theorists for whom the world is a chessboard and a powerful few are...
The Future of Mykolayiv, the Future of Ukraine
In many ways, the problems facing the city of Mykolayiv since the October 2015 local elections are a microcosm of the challenges facing Ukraine’s national leaders. The new mayor, with a strong track record of engaging with civil society on anti-corruption efforts and a fresh face to city politics, faces huge obstacles from old faces who...
In Ukraine, Putin Tries to Cash In Before Luck Runs Out
Ukraine has become the object of high-stakes diplomacy. This does not mean that fighting has stopped—quite the opposite. Russian forces continue to launch probes and violate the cease-fire agreement; they have substantially reinforced themselves, as have the Ukrainian forces arrayed against them. Nevertheless, a major diplomatic campaign is...
