Section: Atlantic Council (USA)
A Way Out of the Crisis
In the village of Glebovka, on a road leading to the old hunting grounds of ex-Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, there is a small enclave of villas. Here, in the deep forest by the shores of the Kyiv water reservoir, sits a guest house that belongs to former Rada Deputy Mykola Martynenko, where confidential meetings between Ukrainian Prime...
Who Should Pay for the Restoration of the Donbas?
It appears a real possibility that the Donbas will be reunified with the rest of Ukraine this year: its occupation simply costs the Kremlin too much. Its Novorossiya project has failed, and the Donbas on its own has no appeal to the Russian people. And Russia cannot get rid of the current suffocating financial sanctions without sacrificing the...
Where is Ukraine’s Government Headed Now? Four Possible Scenarios
Ukraine’s ongoing political crisis offers observers an opportunity to analyze the current state of affairs and determine likely scenarios for the country’s political future in the near term.First, the recent resignation of Aivaras Abromavicius from the position of Minister of Economic Development and Trade did not appear to be...
Ukraine’s Got a Real Army Now. But Is It Preparing to Fight the Last Battle?
The prolonged stalemate of Minsk II has provided the Ukrainian military ample opportunity to address a series of longstanding challenges stretching back to the presidency of Viktor Yanukovych. While it is clear that the Ukrainian military has improved since its disastrous defeat at Debaltseve in February 2015, evaluating the real effect of...
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...
