“The two-page photo spread from Yalta in this week’s ‘Sobitiya’ magazine was nauseating enough. The saccharine images in this sister publication of Victor Pinchuk’s Fakty newspaper group show Pinchuk cutting an oversized cake with his wife, Olena Franchuk; of Franchuk sitting with her father, the foul-mouthed former president, Leonid Kuchma; of Franchuk being chatted up by U.S. Ambassador William Taylor.
“More disturbing about the Livadia gathering are the destructive fantasies of these reputed leaders. Regrettably, their delusions are infecting more people, in Ukraine and abroad. The ostensible aim of Pinchuk’s 5th annual Yalta European Strategy is to bring Ukraine closer to joining the European Union by inviting foreign dignitaries to mix with hundreds of flown-in journalists and other guests. Sadly, many of the journalists — still lacking professionalism and respectable expense accounts — allow themselves to be wined and dined at the host’s expense.
“It’s not going to work, guys. Do you want to bring Ukraine closer to the European Union? Then stop pretending that Ukraine is a normal democracy. Start solving all Ukraine’s great unsolved crimes.
“Were the events exposed on the Mykola Melnychenko tapes true? Who poisoned President Viktor Yushchenko? Who ordered Georgiy Gongadze’s murder? Give us a full accounting of how the greasy oligarchs acquired their wealth in the slimy privatizations. We don’t have space to air the whole dirty laundry list. We’re not talking about historical irrelevancies. We’re talking about skeletons in the closet and corpses in the basement that will haunt this nation until they are exhumed and exposed.
“There’s no use in looking to members of the entrenched elite to lead Ukraine closer to European integration. Businessman Pinchuk is not going to push for any investigation that cuts close to home, especially of father-in-law Kuchma.
“Ukraine’s power structure is like a bad restaurant whose owners refuse to get a new chef or change the menu. Same old faces, same old garbage. Those in power want us to forget about the sins of the 1990s and sleepwalk through the rest of this decade.
“Too many of us are obliging, buying into the story line of power brokers in a no-holds-barred war with each other. While many conflicts are real, when it comes to extracting justice from the top, they all seem to play rehearsed roles in a fake wrestling match designed to make sure no one gets hurt.
“So what’s the answer?
“For journalists and foreigners, if you do attend, pay your own way. And start asking harder questions, rather than being razzled and dazzled by the wine and jazz.
“For weary Ukrainians, stop nursing wounds over the failed promises of the four-year-old Orange Revolution. Checking out of politics is never a good idea. The nation isn’t the Hotel California. Too much is at stake. It’s time for Ukrainians to search for and find leaders who keep promises.”
From left, ex-President Leonid Kuchma, BBC HARDtalk moderator Stephen Sackur, Elena Pinchuk and Victor Pinchuk.
So what’s different today?
Not everything. More than seven year later, I still share many of the sentiments in that editorial. Many of our criticisms remain relevant today, especially regarding the still-unsolved crimes and Ukraine’s lack of progress in adopting Western values.
Many with justification continue to see the YES event as part of Pinchuk’s never-ending attempts to sanitize his reputation and insulate his father-in-law Kuchma from criminal investigations.
But some of my attitudes have changed about Pinchuk and the event.
Leaving aside questions over the origins of Pinchuk’s billions and the alleged crimes of Kuchma, I think the conference is too valuable to miss and should be covered thoroughly for the public that can’t be there.
This year’s forum was my third — and I have had the good fortune to witness dramatic years.
The 2013 event took place at a time of tremendous tension between the West and Russia and within Ukraine over integration with the European Union. And it was the last one in Crimea, before the Russian military invasion and annexation. The 2014 event took place amid the aftershocks of revolution and war. This year’s event took place in a calmer but still highly uncertain atmosphere as disappointment grows with the current government.
Over the 12 years of the event, the Russian presence has waxed and waned at YES conferences. The political landscape has changed greatly for Ukraine — from hope and then disappointment over the 2004 Orange Revolution. Ukraine’s leaders have been internationally popular at times and international pariahs at other times, especially during ex-President Viktor Yanukovych’s four-year rule that mercifully ended on Feb. 22, 2014.
According to the Victor Pinchuk Foundation, Pinchuk spends about about $1 million per year on the conference. It brings together more international and national leaders than any other conference in Ukraine. Pinchuk has assembled presidents, prime ministers, generals and business leaders. Its superb organization — live stream, video archive and easy journalistic proximity to speakers and participants — makes it easy to cover.
Also, a person can’t stay angry forever. Pinchuk’s charitable giving has now reached more than $100 million since 2006, according to his foundation’s figures. This money has greatly improved the lives of its recipients. The YES conference is one of those contributions to the betterment of Ukraine.
Will the Kyiv Post be a media partner of the 13th YES forum next year? If invited again, the answer is yes.
Kyiv Post chief editor Brian Bonner can be reached at [email protected].
