Section: Atlantic Council (USA)
Ukraine Needs Responsible Public Finances Now
With increasing surprise, I follow the Ukrainian discussion about public finances. Strangely, some prominent Ukrainians seem to think that taxes and public expenditures have no relationship to one another, arguing that public expenditures should be increased and taxes should be cut. But that is called populism, the disease Ukraine has suffered...
Justice Sector Is Central Battlefield in Struggle Between Old Ukraine and New Ukraine
Editor’s note: US Ambassador Geoffrey R. Pyatt gave remarks at the “Conference on Legal and Governance Reform,” sponsored by the US-Ukraine Business Council and Kyiv School of Economics on October 30, 2015 in Kyiv. Pyatt’s remarks have been shortened below. The full version is available here.What a difference a year...
New Film Captures Ukraine’s 91-Day Fight for Freedom
History is mostly curated and told years or even centuries later by persons not directly involved.But the twentieth century video camera brought us history on the run, produced by journalists, and now the cell phone records events and stories told by the participants themselves in real time.The finest example of this New History is the newly...
Why Poroshenko’s Support for Shokin Is Dangerous
On October 31, protesters parked ninety-three cars outside the private residence of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to demand that he fire Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin. Protesters held signs demanding change and a few held placards supporting the President. The atmosphere was reminiscent of the Euromaidan protests, but on a much smaller...
Poroshenko Not Serious About Fighting Corruption, Says Leading Anticorruption Reformer
Bogdan Yakymiuk radiates optimism. But despite his quick smile, the thirty-seven-year old reformer is deadly serious when it comes to corruption.”The speed of corruption in Ukraine equals $100 million Euro per hour,” Yakymiuk said in an October 27 interview in Washington. …read more Source: Atlantic...
“We Must Keep the Focus on Ukraine and Spread the Truth,” Says New Ukrainian Ambassador
Valeriy Chaly, Ukraine’s new ambassador in Washington, sees the United States as his country’s “main strategic partner” and says he wants to use that bilateral relationship “to resolve the crisis created by Russia in Eastern Europe and find the best model of security in this part of the world.”Chaly, 45,...
The Motivations Behind Poroshenko’s New Anticorruption Drive
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko’s government appears to have launched a new anticorruption drive with the October 31 detention of Gennadiy Korban, a close associate of oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky and the leader of Ukrop, a political party funded by Kolomoisky. The authorities arrested Korban following an investigation that began last year...
Ukraine Must Not Pay Russia
On December 20, Ukraine is supposed to pay Russia $3 billion in return for a Eurobond that Russian President Vladimir Putin issued in December 2013. Ukraine has no reason to pay.In February 2014, the Kremlin launched military aggression against Ukraine, first annexing Crimea and later pursuing military subversion in southern and eastern Ukraine....
Why the Realists Were Wrong About the War in Ukraine
The ongoing ceasefire in eastern Ukraine may or may not lead to a lasting peace, but it has already had one important consequence: it has undermined both Russian and realist interpretations of the Russo-Ukrainian war.On August 29, Russian President Vladimir Putin, French President Francois Hollande, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel agreed that...
Five Steps to Unleash Ukraine’s Economy
Ukraine faces numerous challenges that would be hard for any government to address. However, it must implement economic reforms to stabilize the country and show immediate positive results. Ordinary Ukrainians want to see their bottom line improve, and businesses want fair rules.Developing an effective competition policy to eliminate the...
