FILE IMAGE: AFP
US National Security Advisor John Bolton will visit Ukraine on its Independence Day on August 24th.
RT cited various experts who claim that the visit by Bolton on Ukrainian Independence Day shows the true limits of its “independence,” further noting that Kiev appears to be completely reliant on support from Washington.
Vladimir Kornilov, a political analyst, historian and journalist, cited by RT, dubbed the visit an “inspection” since the US National Security Advisor will meet with practically all key figures of the Ukrainian government, including President Petro Poroshenko, Prime Minister Vladimir Groysman as well as foreign and defense ministers, according to the Ukrainian ambassador to the US, Valery Chaly, who praised this visit as a display of the US “support to Ukraine.”
Kornilov further calls Ukraine’s recent tradition to invite US officials as honored guests on its Independence Days “unhealthy.” He commented that top US officials attending Ukrainian military parades, such as US Secretary of Defense James Mattis on August 24th, 2017, show “the true state of Ukrainian independence” and indicates who has, in fact, become “the true masters in the Ukrainian house.”
“Ukraine has long been de facto living off US help and support,” Kornilov said, adding that it is “in no position” to demand any guarantees from the US. On the contrary, “it the US, it is Bolton, who will demand guarantees from Kiev that it will stick to its foreign policy, which was de facto dictated by Washington … since 2014 or 2015.”
Vladimir Zharikhin, the deputy head of the Institute of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), cited by RT, believes that the Ukrainian government is “not so much worried about Ukraine as they are worried about their own fate.” The current Kiev authorities have relied heavily on US support since the 2014 coup which took down Viktor Yanukovich. Zharikhin believes that despite Ukrainian officials interpreting Bolton’s visit as a sign of good unconditional support, Kiev might be surprised.
RT also claimed that in addition to Bolton meeting the key figures in the Ukrainian Government, he will be able to assess whether the US should back Poroshenko in the upcoming March 2019 elections. The US is well aware of the fact that … there is no point in putting all eggs in one basket,” Kornilov said.
Washington’s influence over the Ukrainian government becomes apparent after former US Vice President Joe Biden revealed that it took him “six hours” to get the Ukrainian prosecutor-general fired through the threat of US financial aid withdrawal. RT, however, claimed that simply following US directives may not be sufficient to save Ukraine from its crisis.
In regard to the conflict in Ukraine, the US position is that the annexation of Crimea will never be accepted. The US has imposed sanctions on Russia for the annexation of Crimea, some of them were imposed under the Obama Administration, most of them under the Trump one. The US also threatens all parties that engage in business with entities or individuals under US sanctions will also be exposed to sanctioning. “The US government is committed to maintaining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and to targeting those who attempt to undermine the Minsk agreements,” Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said in a statement in January 2018. “Those who provide goods, services, or material support to individuals and entities sanctioned by the United States for their activities in Ukraine are engaging in behavior that could expose them to US sanctions.”
On August 20th, in his interview with Reuters, US President Donald Trump said that he was not considering lifting the sanctions on Russia, however only if Russia provides certain concessions in Ukraine or Syria. “I’m not considering it at all. No. I would consider it if they do something that would be good for us. But I wouldn’t consider it without that. We have a lot of things we can do good for each other. You have Syria. You have Ukraine. You have many other things,” Trump said.
On August 21st, the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow welcomed Trump’s comments which indicate that there is readiness to cooperate with Moscow, however the comments would be “welcome even more some kind of concrete actions.”
Regarding the Ukraine-Russian tensions, on August 22nd, Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko, while in a meeting with former participants in the military operation in Southeastern Ukraine said that Kiev would never accept Moscow’s conditions to resolve the Donbass conflict. He further accused Russia of aggressive aspirations and unwillingness to search for a peaceful solution to the issue.
“The key to peace can be found neither in Kiev, nor in Washington nor in Brussels,” Poroshenko said. “The Kremlin holds the key to peace. But if someone tries to impose Russia’s onerous terms on us, I would like to point out that it would be unacceptable not only for the president but for the entire Ukrainian nation as well, for this is not a path leading to peace,” he added.
The financial situation in Ukraine is alarming. Its national debt is becoming a problem; over the past five years it has soared nearly fourfold to some $71.7 billion as the government had to continuously borrow money to finance the economy. The country’s debt obligations will peak in 2018-2020 but it continues to pin its hopes on a new agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as its current $17.5bn program expires in March 2019, even though Kiev repeatedly failed to fully implement IMF recommendations.
One of the biggest supporters of Ukraine is the US, in November 2017, U.S Congress approved $350 million in security assistance for Ukraine in 2018. The US also supplies Kiev with weapons. On March 1st, 2018, the US announced a $47 million deal that includes 35 FGM-148 Javelin command launch units and 210 anti-tank missiles, along with smaller arms.
Just hope that Ukraine gets on the list to receive an annual stipend from the U.S. like Israel and other countries get, at least a few billion dollars. It will complete the role reversal between the U.S. and Soviet Union when it was the USSR that was overburdened supporting a huge military and rupturing cash supporting satellite states in Eastern Europe and Cuba. Then sit back and watch us bleed.
I’d like to see the chicken hawks like Bolton form a Spanish Brigade and try to liberate Crimea. According to them, the Crimeans are dying to overthrow the vicious Russians. I’d even give them NON-nuclear weapons and state of the art weapons to drop inside Crimea to arm the waiting rebels. I hate the Bolton types so much. They just love trouble.
If we in the U.S. acted like a normal country, we could have reasonably good relations with Russia, Iran, and China and cooperate against terrorism but we have to turn everything into a drama.
Im pretty sure were the terrorists too. Contemporary Terrorism was a pretext to pass patriot act…
I agree with you on your stance concerning the ongoing US foreign policy of antagonizing other countries. There are three types of countries in this world: 1) countries that are subservient lapdogs, virtual colonies and hangers-on to the US, 2) countries that are potential or imagined enemies (i.e. competitors that can and will fight back, 3) countries that are so unimportant and insignificant that major countries basically ignore. Even during the so-called Cold War between the US-led NATO and the USSR/Warsaw Pact countries (former US Army officer ’84 – ’88) the insanity level didn’t reach the level of what it is today. It is downright shameful and a disgrace what the US is doing, especially when one looks at our huge domestic problems – violent crime, poverty, pollution of all kinds, horrible public schools, suicidal and insane laws that allow social degeneracy. homelessness, etc. To get an idea of where the US is going just watch the video on YouTube titled “San Francisco Is A Sh*thole.” Like I say in German: “Traurig aber wahr.”
International bankers care about international profit. Money for Rothschilds, Rockerfeller, G. Soros, JP Morgan, Goldmann Sachs, Bush Family, Clinton Family. You dont like it? Your problem………………………LOL.
The solution to a lot of humanity’s problems is dejudification, starting with the US and Israel. Half of the planet is Jew free. The other half needs to be be cleaned out also.
Ukraine isn’t a country, it’s a shetl. It should be renamed, Jewkraine.
It was always clear that.when the US/EU/NATO gangsters instigated the Maidan coup and installed their puppets, Banderised Ukraine would need $10 billion a year for 10 years to become fit for the EU. These gangsters are not prepared to spend this kind of money. They really wanted RF to pay! The deluded Banderised Ukrainians really thought the the US would print some $ just for them and the EU would put a welcome mat, as these brave “heroes” were busy murdering their own people in the Donbass, while claiming to guard the whole of Europe from the Russian “Mongol hordes. This really was the plan of the Banderised Ukrainians. Amazing. By now, it should be crystal clear to some true nationalists in Ukraine that the US/EU/NATO gangsters have only one use for their land: as a puss-filled wound in the side of RF. What will these true Ukrainian nationalists do? How long will they put up with US/EU/NATO arse-licking and only getting the smelly brown stuff fall on their collective faces?
Bolton is only there for peace and to help freedom by giving Ukraine nukes to defend themselves against more landgrabbing from aggressive, hostile Hitler dictatorship countries.
LMAO you are a real trip,useless but always good for a laugh…
You know what is more funny? Tommy Jensen says what he says as an irony, to make jokes as he really isn’t a Hasbarat. Far from it. Sometimes I cry reading his comments as he constantly refuses to put his remarks in a tag, believing people are fast enough to “catch” it and don’t let it go over their heads. I even offered to “coach” him on the art of sarcasm but he rubbed it on my face and made fun of me and my lessons and sources! :'(
The whole joy and idea of practical jokes are to leave it to people to discover the substance behind.
Somebody dont catch and so whats the problem. They maybe, maybe not will some day. Not a reason to establish a religious school.
Some sites or people blacks me. I dont take it as censorship, but as a dear warning to myself that I have reached a limit where its better to leave people in peace……………..which should/would leave everybody happy ;-).
Slight hypocrisy when you celebrate Independence but owe the IMF 71.7 Billion US.
Is there a patriot system travelling with Bolton to theoretically protect him from any BUK that goes errant, yet again.
Giving Ukrainian weapons is like hanging cocked and loaded Glocks from an infant’s mobile.
Hey they are Nazis what could go wrong?