U.S. will remain clear-eyed when it comes to seeing the truth about Russia's war against Ukraine, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, said during a speech at October Palace in Kyiv on June 11.
In her words, if Russia continues to disregard Ukraine’s sovereignty, U.S. will “continue to raise the cost to Russia.
“You are not alone,” Power said. “U.S. have never left your side, and will not leave your side.”
She noted that though EuroMaidan Revolution has been over, Ukrainians are still living in the revolution, facing two battles at a time: one – against corruption and bureaucracy – inside the country, and the other one – repulsing Russian aggression, coming from the outside.
Power said that Kremlin’s bet was that Ukrainians would give up and trade their sovereignty for calm in the country’s east.
However “Russia underestimated Ukraine,” and Ukrainians “have definitely not been broken,” she added.
The ambassador championed what she called “the freest and fairest elections to Verkhovna Rada,” which brought new faces to power – people, who “are pushing for the greater progress.”
She mentioned transparent tenders, held by Ukrainian ministries, the adoption of the law on the public broadcasting, and the authorities’ step towards chipping away the oligarchs’ monopolies.The true power that stands behind this progress, in her words, is the continuing society’s pressure on the government, including activities of the Reanimation Package of Reforms initiative.
“This pressure resulted in less tolerance for corruption,” Power said, referring, among others, to the case of former acting head of the traffic police Oleksandr Yershov, who resigned couple hours after Ukrainian media uncovered the lavish lifestyle of his family – he hardly could afford it judging by his modest income declaration.
However, much more work is needed, the ambassador said.
“Far too many reforms, made on paper, are not carried out in practice,” Power said.
She emphasized the urge to investigate and prosecute the slaughter of more than 100 protesters during the EuroMaidan Revolution, as well as the tragedy at Trade Union House in Odessa on May 2, 2014, that left 48 people dead.
In her words, that shows the authorities’ lack of competence and will to hold perpetrators accountable.
Therefore, it’s crucial for Ukrainians to stay engaged in the reforming process.
“Building a system of the new rules will never depend on what government does,” Power noted, “It depends on what you do.”
At the end of her speech, Power cited Ukrainian poet Vasyl Stus, who was persecuted by the Soviet regime, and spent 23 years in detention for his works.
“Ukraine, you may still be bleeding from pain,” Power said afterwards, repeating the line from Stus’s poem, “but you are strong and defined. And if you stay strong together, no kleptocrat, no oligarch, no foreign power can stop you.”
Kyiv Post staff writer Alyona Zhuk can be reached at [email protected]
