Bloomberg: How the President of Ukraine deceived the Vice President of the United States

Photo: Facebook / Petro Poroshenko

The liberal world order, if it still exists, is based on the rules and the principle of conditionality: if you choose the path of virtue, you get help.

But this rule is easy to use. About how it once did the president of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko, in his article for Bloomberg told Leonid Bershidsky.

On January 23, former US Vice President Joe Biden explained how things were going on with Ukraine when he was the special representative of the Obama administration in this troubled post-Soviet state. Biden's story should serve as a warning to Western politicians meeting with Poroshenko.

Biden spoke at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington. In a calm and relaxed manner, he recounted how, during his 12 or 13 visits to Kyiv, he convinced Poroshenko and then-Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk to fire Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin, under whom corruption was rampant in the country. This became a condition for receiving a loan guarantee of $1 billion. According to Biden, it was like this: “I said, well, I'm not going to, that is, we're not going to give you a billion. They answered - you do not have the authority to do this. You are not the president. The President has already promised us. “In response, I said: call the president.” I said: look, you won't get a billion. I looked at them and added: I'm leaving in six hours. If your prosecutor is not fired, you will not receive any money. As a result, he was fired. His place was taken by the one who seemed the most reliable candidate at that time.”

The audience laughed. “The most reliable candidate at the time” turned out to be Yuriy Lutsenko, a close associate of Poroshenko, and a man who proved to be an aggressive persecutor of the president’s political opponents.

At the end of 2017, Lutsenko was one of those who actively opposed the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), a key element of the parallel judicial system that the IMF and other international sponsors of Ukraine demanded to create to combat widespread corruption. Since then, there has been some reconciliation, but Lutsenko still accuses NABU representatives of violating the law.

If everything was as Biden describes, then what was behind Shokin's dismissal? From the point of view of Biden, the positive changes came precisely because of the actions of the United States.

But what did the US get in exchange for that billion or, more precisely, the 3 billion loan guarantees provided under the Obama administration? In fact, they got Poroshenko, much better armed and prepared to resist Western attempts to eradicate corruption in Ukraine. Even Biden is not so sure of his success right now. “I am extremely worried about the rollback of Kiev in the fight against corruption,” he said at a meeting of the Council on Foreign Relations.

And in this sense, Biden is not alone. The IMF, the World Bank and the European Union are trying to force Poroshenko and Ukrainian lawmakers to tighten the wording of the draft law on the creation of a special anti-corruption court, which the president reluctantly submitted for consideration. They would like to have some influence on the process of appointing judges. In response, the IMF and the World Bank are not in a hurry with funding. Meanwhile, the European Union threatens to abolish the visa-free regime for Ukrainians, which has become one of the most serious achievements of Poroshenko as president of the country.

Poroshenko's goal is to make this anti-corruption court as less effective as possible, while fulfilling the requirements of the West, which will allow Ukraine to receive financial assistance. The Ukrainian leader cannot allow cooling in relations between Ukraine and the West, because in this case his country will have to stand alone against the pressure of the Kremlin. Most likely, he will give way to the creation of an anti-corruption court, but then he will find a way to bypass it, as he has repeatedly done with other anti-corruption mechanisms imposed by the West.

Poroshenko, whose condition is estimated Bloomberg, is 914 million dollars - not a fool at all: he received from the West a billion dollars and put in place Shokin a person who will be faithful to him. That is why it is likely that Poroshenko will continue to seek the right from other Western politicians. For two years, similar games with Biden and other representatives of the West Poroshenko became a real virtuoso in this matter.

American and European politicians should not have illusions: they will not achieve anything from Poroshenko in exchange for their billions. Ukraine still remains a kleptocracy overrun by oligarchs. Poroshenko has repeatedly argued that it is necessary to constantly monitor his hands when you play with him. But if Ukraine doesn’t play with Ukraine, then it will inevitably fall prey to the Kremlin’s attacks and pressure - on Tuesday, Biden described such a scenario in his characteristic colorful manner: “Russia is not going to cross the border and seize the rest of the country with tanks. She is going to destroy your economy, she will simply bury you, and you will be finished. And at that very moment everything will go to hell. ”

Text translation prepared edition Inosmi.

Read also on ForumDaily:

America Trump: what Ukraine got and what to hope for next

Ukraine officially recognized Russia as an occupier: what will change?

The Economist: Ukraine is bursting at the seams; The West must make it fight corruption

Bloomberg: The West has supported the wrong person in Ukraine

Do you want more important and interesting news about life in the USA and immigration to America? — support us donate! Also subscribe to our page Facebook. Select the “Priority in display” option and read us first. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our РєР ° РЅР ° Р »РІ Telegram  and Instagram- there is a lot of interesting things there. And join thousands of readers ForumDaily New York — there you will find a lot of interesting and positive information about life in the metropolis.