A delegation from the American Foreign Policy Council (AFPC), a Washington D.C. based think tank, conducted its annual visit to Ukraine in April 2018 to review the status of the security and defense sector of the country. The AFPC advises US government institutions, including members of the Trump Administration, and makes recommendations for US foreign, security, and defense policy on Ukraine and many other countries. During this most recent working visit to Ukraine AFPC experts met with top Ukrainian government officials in Kyiv and visited both ends of the country, starting in Kharkiv, moving on to Kramatorsk, then to the most forward outposts of Ukrainian defense forces near the city of Avdiyivka. Afterwards, the team visited Lviv and local villages in the area, including Horutsko.
During the 9-day trip, the American experts met with Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman; Speaker of Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) of Ukraine, Andriy Parubiy; Vice-Prime-Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine, Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze; Acting Minister of Health of Ukraine Dr. Ulyana Suprun; Minister of Foreign Affairs Pavlo Klimkin; Minister of Internal Affairs Arsen Avakov; Head of Security Service of Ukraine Vasyl Hrytsak; Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko; MP and the Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs Anna Hopko; First Deputy Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Lieutenant General Ihor Kolesnyk; MP and Vice Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Information Policy Serhiy Vysotsky; Mayor of the city of Lviv Andrii Sadovy; MP and Chairman of the Parliamentary Sub Committee on National Security, Andriy Levus; First Deputy Head of National Memory (Remembrance) Institute Alina Shpak; Expert of the Reanimation Package of Reforms Bohdan Yatsun, and other officials.
The delegation assessed the impact of assistance to Ukraine by its western partners and identified further measures that Ukraine and its partners could take to sustain and increase support in the areas of government and sectoral reform, the fight against corruption, economic growth, democratic transformations, and the role of civil society. Particular focus was on the national security and defence sector, including institutional restructuring and reforms, fighting corruption and creating greater transparency, and establishing civilian control and parliamentary oversight over security, defence, and law enforcement agencies.
“The collapse of the USSR was the most important event in the second part of the twentieth century. The next most important event was restoring the independence of Ukraine. I’m sure that Ukraine is the key for the prosperity of the so-called ‘post-Soviet space.’ We support Ukraine in restoring its territorial integrity. We support strengthening its security. Juridical warfare in and of itself but also as an additional factor in informational warfare also needs to be taken into account. Russia has violated many international laws. Ukraine should bring its case to international courts including compensation for the death and destruction wrought by Russian aggression,” stated Dr. William J. Schneider Jr., Head of the AFPC delegation, during his meeting with students, professors and scholars at the Taras Shevchenko Kyiv National University.
To sustain western support Ukraine needs to stay the course and continue to reform the economy, establish independent courts, create a more competitive political system, eliminate corruption and institute greater transparency, as well as begin the process of fundamentally reforming the security and defence sector.
Herman Pirchner, AFPC President, noted three significant threats to Ukraine, "The first threat is that Russian leadership, apparently believing in its propaganda, will ratchet up the military conflict. The second is that Ukraine will be compelled to accept disadvantageous terms for peace. The third threat is the greatest and centers around the deceleration of reforms which are necessary for the successful development of the state: consolidating Ukraine’s sovereignty and independence. However, it is worth noting that some reforms may be destabilizing. They can split society or provoke internal conflict. Therefore, the government has to engage in dialogue and consult the nation, especially civil society."
A roundtable entitled "Reforming the National Security System of Ukraine: the Role of the Parliament" was held in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine under the auspices of Speaker Andriy Parubiy and with the participation of MPs, representatives of Ukraine’s western partners, the AFPC delegation, and others. According to the Chair of the Roundtable, MP Andriy Levus, "Ukraine faces the daunting task of fundamentally reforming the entire security architecture and integrating it into Western structures, in particular, NATO. It is necessary to develop and adopt appropriate legislation, taking into account the recommendations and experience of our international partners. Cooperation with the United States on these issues, including the adoption of the law on National Security, are essential to the reform agenda." Andriy Levus is Co-chair of the Parliamentary Inter-Faction Group (caucus) "Security and Development" and President of the "Free People" civic network.
The AFPC delegation also visited the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the front lines near Avdiivka. Serhii Kuzan, Vice President of “Free People,” who organized the delegation's visit to Ukraine, noted that the AFPC experts held extensive meetings with multiple top military officials and with field commanders on the front lines, receiving first-hand information on all aspects of the war. The American delegation also met the Chairman of the Kharkiv Regional State Administration, Yuliia Svitlychna, the First Deputy Head of the Donetsk Regional State Administration, Yevhen Vilinskyi, Anti-Terrorist Center Commanders, and with Pavlo Malykhin, the Chairman of Avdiyivka's Сivil and Military Administration. In Kyiv, the AFPC also received a background briefing at the US Embassy.
"AFPC visits to Ukraine are comprehensive; this is the fifth such trip since 2014. Each visit offers an opportunity to compare and contrast the situation in Ukraine and to view changes from different perspectives through direct, on the ground observation as well as at meetings with government officials, military personnel, experts in the field, civic activists, and average citizens. The delegations’ trip reports are important contributors for policy analysts and US officials working on US/Ukraine relations," said Borys Potapenko, member of numerous delegations and AFPC advisor.
The members of the April 2018 AFPC delegation were: Dr. William J. Schneider, former Deputy Head of the US State Department who currently serves as a Senior Consultant to the U.S. Government’s Departments of Defence, Energy, and State; Herman Pirchner, founding President of the AFPC; Justin Ouimette, Executive Director of the House Freedom Caucus US House of Representatives; Wayne Merry, AFPC Senior Fellow for Europe and Eurasia; Adriana Luchechko, President of The Quality Control Center; Julia Bjork, AFPC Board member; Borys Potapenko, Advisor to the AFPC and Chairman of the International Council in Support of Ukraine.
Reference:
American Foreign Policy Council (AFPC) - Founded in 1982, AFPC is a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing information to those who make or influence the foreign policy of the United States and to assisting world leaders with building democracies and market economies. The AFPC also publishes strategic reports and monitors materials on progress in other countries' policies from a conservative point of view (in particular, Ukraine, Russia, China, the Middle East, and Asia). Among the main areas of interest are security, as well as the current status of democracy and the market economy.
Dmytro Zhmailo is Executive Director and Member of the Board of Free People - Vilny Ludy. He also serves as Senior Staff for MP Oleh Medunytsya at the Parliament of Ukraine.
