A statement by Ambassador-Designate to Ukraine William B. Taylor Jr. to the United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee on May 12, 2006.
Mr. Chairman and members of the Committee, I am honored to appear before you today to discuss my nomination as the United States Ambassador to Ukraine.
I deeply appreciate the confidence that President Bush and Secretary Rice have placed in me. If confirmed by the Senate, I pledge to work closely with this Committee and your Congressional colleagues to advance U.S. interests in Ukraine and the region.
My experience coordinating the assistance Congress made available to support nascent democracy and market economics in the former Soviet states will prove useful in Ukraine. I first visited Ukraine in the early 1990s, when the newly independent country was experiencing freedom for the first time since World War I. I returned many times during the next decade, working to advance political and economic reform. If confirmed, I look forward to returning yet again to help solidify the gains made to date and to support the Ukrainian people in their continuing efforts to transform their country.
Following free and fair parliamentary elections this March, Ukraine is striving to redefine itself as a stable and prosperous European democracy.
Ukraine has become a good partner to the United States on matters of national security, free trade, human rights and other key issues.
If confirmed, I will work to strengthen and broaden our cooperation.
Ukraine has made significant progress since gaining freedom in 1991. To be sure, this progress has been uneven and opportunities have been missed.
Ukraine, like other countries making the transition from communism to democracy and a free market, has had to overcome major hurdles and has suffered setbacks. But Ukraine has made notable advances. These have been most significant since the winter 2004 Orange Revolution, which radically transformed the political dynamic in Ukraine. The media is now unquestionably freer, respect for basic rights of citizens has improved, a vibrant civil society has grown even stronger and Ukraine is a more constructive and energetic player in the region and worldwide.
Ukraine’s recent parliamentary election is proof of its progress. This election was a critical test of Ukraine’s commitment to democracy and Ukraine passed convincingly. The campaign and vote met OSCE and international standards for democratic elections and were the most democratic in Ukraine’s history.
The Orange Revolution also put our bilateral relations on a new trajectory. Scandals and corruption limited our engagement with earlier Ukrainian administrations, but our relations with the post-Orange Revolution administration and governments have been characterized by close cooperation.
Over the last year-and-a-half, with strong support from the U.S. Congress, the Administration has worked with our allies to offer Ukraine an Intensified Dialogue with NATO, restored generalized system of preferences (GSP) trade benefits to Ukraine, recognized Ukraine as a market economy, concluded a bilateral market access agreement – a key step to WTO accession for Ukraine – and lifted Jackson-Vanik Amendment restrictions.
These steps were taken in response to Ukraine’s own positive actions and reforms. The Administration has also worked closely with Ukraine to halt the proliferation of arms and potentially dangerous materials and technology, and to advance democracy and security in the region.
Ukraine’s new coalition government will face a daunting but vital challenge: to consolidate the gains to date of the Orange Revolution, and to further Ukraine’s democratization, economic development and integration with Europe, Euro-Atlantic institutions and the international community. The U.S. Government will continue to help.
The Administration strongly supports Ukraine’s NATO aspirations, and, if confirmed, I will do all I can to assist Ukraine in implementing the political, economic, defense and security reforms necessary for possible membership in NATO’s community of shared values. If confirmed, I would look forward to continuing the already strong cooperation with Ukraine to combat global threats, such as trafficking in persons, avian influenza, HIV/AIDS and TB. If confirmed, I would work with the government of Ukraine on effective implementation of an improved export control system as part of our nonproliferation policy.
On the economic side, if confirmed, I will strongly support Ukraine’s efforts to join the WTO and integrate its markets into international structures, strengthen its – and Europe’s – energy security, and improve energy efficiency and conservation.If confirmed, I will also do all that I can to help Ukraine strengthen rule of law, combat corruption and money laundering, and improve its investment climate.
Among the tasks ahead for Ukraine are developing domestic financial markets, further improving protection of intellectual property rights, and simplifying the regulatory environment and increasing access to credit for small and medium-sized entrepreneurs, who form the backbone of developed economies. Given Ukraine’s agricultural endowments, helping private farmers play an increasing role in the economy is another key to a prosperous, sustainable future.
Ukraine’s good and growing ties with the United States and with Euro-Atlantic institutions are entirely compatible with Ukraine’s having good neighborly relations with Russia. If confirmed, I will join Ambassador Burns and my colleagues in encouraging both countries to continue to build their bilateral relations on the basis of mutual respect for each other’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and other principles of human rights to which Ukraine, Russia and the United States have subscribed in the United Nations and in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
As you know, Mr. Chairman, there is a terrific group of people on the ground at Embassy Kyiv working toward these goals. I look forward, if confirmed, to leading them as we work to deepen cooperation with Ukraine and pursue the interests of the American people. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the opportunity to share my initial thoughts about Ukraine and its relations with the United States. If confirmed, I will look forward to working with you closely. We all appreciate your personal interest and leadership, not just in the area of weapons security, but in Ukraine in particular.I would welcome the opportunity to host you and other interested members of Congress in Kyiv.
Ambassador Taylor headed the Iraqi Reconstruction Management Office in 2004-2005. In mid-2003, Taylor was appointed the new Afghanistan Coordinator at the U.S. Department of State, before which he served in Afghanistan as the Special Representative for Donor Assistance to Afghanistan. Prior to his work on Afghanistan, Ambassador Taylor served as Coordinator of U.S. Assistance to Europe and Eurasia in the U.S. Department of State. Taylor had previously served as the Special Deputy Defense Advisor to the U.S. Ambassador to NATO, William Taft. He also directed an in-house Defense Department think tank at Fort McNair in Washington, D.C.
