Ukraine gets Trump’s support ‘to peacefully resolve conflict’
In White House visit, envoy seeks a strong U.S. stance as Russia expands its influence
Ukraine’s foreign minister said he received assurances of support from President Trump and Vice President Pence as Russia expands its influence in separatist-held eastern Ukraine.
In an interview with USA TODAY, Pavlo Klimkin said, “Without U.S. engagement, it’s not possible to sort this out, because Russia has respect for the United States.”
Klimkin’s visit Wednesday to the White House was overshadowed by Trump’s meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov this week.
Trump expressed his desire to work with Ukraine “to peacefully resolve the conflict,” the White House said in a statement. Pence emphasized the negotiated ceasefire agreements “remain the most viable path toward peace.”
“It was very important to hear,” Klimkin said. Russia’s actions in eastern Ukraine are making peace harder to achieve, he said.
For example, Russian rubles must be used as currency in the Donbas region, instead of Ukrainian hryvnas, for all transactions, including paying employees of Ukrainian companies. That mandate, which has been in place since March 1, required transferring large amounts of currency from Russia, which Klimkin said could not have happened without Russian approval and involvement.
In addition, Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a decree Feb. 18 recognizing passports and other documents issued by the self-described People’s Republic of Donetsk and People’s Republic of Luhansk.
On March 17, separatist authorities seized private and Ukrainian state-owned factories and mines, Klimkin said. One result is that owners in Ukraine have no legal way to communicate with Ukrainian companies in the Donbas, he said, and commodities such as coal and iron ore produced in the separatist-held areas are illegally transferred and sold in Russia.
Klimkin said Russian stateowned media and the separatistheld region have begun “talking about ‘the nation of Donbas,’ which never existed.”
“It’s not a random sequence of actions,” he said. “It’s an intentional sequence to bring the occupied Donbas far, far away from Ukraine.”
The fighting in eastern Ukraine, which started after demonstrators ousted a pro-Russian government in February 2014, has escalated in recent months despite cease-fire agreements negotiated with Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany in Minsk, Belarus. Though Russia denies arming the separatists, Ukrainian, U.S. and Western authorities documented Russian military support and direct involvement in the conflict that has resulted in 10,000 Ukrainian deaths.
The United States and the European Union imposed sanctions on Russia for its actions in Ukraine. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told Lavrov on Wednesday that U.S. sanctions won’t be lifted until Russia reverses its actions.
The Minsk agreement requires the withdrawal of heavy weapons and the restoration of Ukrainian law in the separatist-held regions.
The deal also calls for Ukraine to establish a “special status” for the Donetsk and Luhansk regions that includes selfgovernance and cross-border cooperation with Russia. While fighting continues, that special status provision will not be accepted or adopted by Ukraine, according to Oksana Syroid, deputy speaker of the Ukrainian parliament.
Ukrainians “will not allow it,” Syroid said last week in Washington. “It’s against human dignity.”
Klimkin said Russia maintains 6,000 troops, 2,000 tanks and other heavy weapons in the separatist-held area of Ukraine. Unless the recent changes are reversed, he warned that the situation there would become permanent.
U.S. assurances were “very important to hear.” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin