Ukraine: Where East Meets West
On May 25th the Ukraine elected Petro Poroshenko as their new president in hopes that he could unify the country, bring an end to the violence, and steer the nation out of debt and into prosperity. Poroshenko has quite a task ahead of him.
However, during last week’s G7 Summit in Brussels leaders from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US, along with the leaders of the EU, pledged continued support for the Ukrainian people and denounced Russia’s influence in the contested regions. It was announced at a press conference in Brussels that the IMF (International Monetary Fund) is in the process of approving $17 billion for the Ukraine, and that an estimated $18 billion in assistance and loans will be forthcoming from the G7 members. In addition, the White House announced that the US will be allocating an additional $48 million in assistance to the Ukraine to support “key reforms, build law enforcement capacity, and strengthen national unity.” The addition of $48 million brings the total figure of US monetary assistance for the Ukraine to $184 billion since the crisis began this spring.
The economic show of support is telling. The Ukraine possesses a strategic importance—it sits at crossroads of East meets West. A former Soviet nation with one of the few year round usable Russian seaports, and a gas pipeline that connects Russian oil to European nations, the Ukraine is a country truly boarding the Cold War era East and West. It was a pull to more European ties that help set in motion the rise in violence and instability that has governed the last several months. On the eve of an EU-Ukraine trade deal, then President Yanukovych pulled out at the last minute, reportedly after talking with Russian president Putin. President Putin is a relic of the Cold War, a strong minded and at times forceful leader, whose sole aim appears to be restoring Russia to its former power. Geopolitically, this means showing Russian might, in this case by containing the growing power of the EU and displaying it still has strong ties in Eastern Europe. Though President Putin has backed down somewhat since the annexation of Crimea, and he did meet with President Poroshenko, there continues to be ongoing fighting in the pro-Russian regions of Ukraine and much remains to be resolved as the two nations enter talks this week.
The importance here can’t be underestimated. The EU currently stands at 28 countries with eight new countries in the process of joining. Seven of the potential new members are Eastern European nations. When the EU is viewed in economic terms it becomes the largest and wealthiest economy in the world, second only to the US, which is closely followed by China. From this viewpoint as more countries join, ties to the west are strengthened while ties to the east are cut, thereby leaving countries like Russia (the largest country in the world in terms of geography) out in the cold. That is not something Putin wants, nor will he stand by and just watch it happen.
Sources:
European Commission Press Release: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-14-637_en.htm
White House Press Fact Sheet: http://m.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2020/06/07/fact- sheet-us-assistance-ukraine
European Union: http://europa.eu/about-eu/countries/on-the-road-to-eu-membership/index_en.htm
International Monetary Fund: www.imf.og
Image courtesy of The Mirror.
