Ukrainian political scientists differ on the prospects of Ukraine's foreign policy in the event of Party of Regions leader Victor Yanukovych winning the second round of the presidential elections in Ukraine.
Kost Bondarenko, director of the Kyiv Gorshenin Institute of Management Issues, said in an interview with the Internet publication Politychna Dumka that Yanukovych is a nominee of Ukraine’s conservatives, which are associated with the Eastern Ukrainian big business groups. "Consequently, he is a man of Russian culture, but at the same time he is called a Russia-oriented person in the economic sense. The Donetsk lobby has always been sensitive about Russian business structures in the Ukrainian economy," the expert said.
For this reason, Bondarenko said it cannot be said that Yanukovych will be solely pro-Russian. "In foreign policy, he holds the position of active neutrality. He believes that Ukraine does not need to enter NATO and force accession to the EU," he said.
Ihor Zhdanov, president of the Open Policy analytical center, said he believes Yanukovych will realize the Eurasian project of Ukraine’s development if he is elected president. Speaking about foreign policy under Yanukovych, Zhdanov did not rule out a revival of cooperation projects with the single economic space, the creation of a single customs space with Russia and Belarus, but said no broad cooperation with the EU should be expected.
"In domestic policy, he will try to make Russian the second state language, which will cause Ukraine to lose its identity because a nation’s language is its soul," the expert said.
Volodymyr Fesenko, director of the Penta center for applied political studies, said Yanukovych’s foreign policy will be pro-Russian because his voters want Ukraine to develop relations with Russia. In addition, the expert says Yanukovych has no contacts with European politicians. "They see him as a stranger, and that may limit Ukraine’s potential in terms of European integration," Fesenko said.
Fesenko said that Ukraine may be denied membership in the EU in the event of Yanukovych’s election and Yanukovych may insist on Ukraine’s entrance into the customs union of Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan under pressure from Russia.
