Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych is taking a number of proper steps as the head of state, but his actions in relation to the previous government are a "bad precedent" and "madness," former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine William Taylor has said.
"[President] Yanukovych is taking some correct steps. He says that he will not join the Customs Union and that he wants to sign an agreement with the EU on a free trade area. Membership of the EU is a strategic goal. It’s hard to understand his other steps. It’s hard to understand why criminal charges are brought against the political decisions of the previous administration," he said in an interview with the Ukrainian service of Radio Liberty, which was published on Monday.
He said he was perplexed and predicted: "It’s one thing to judge someone for criminal actions, because nobody is above the law, but it’s another to judge someone for a political decision – it’s just not done in a democracy that adheres to the law.
This is a very bad precedent for future governments. The next government may start judging the current one. It’s madness."
However, Taylor refrained from giving an unambiguous assessment of Yanukovych’s activity as president: "He has a five-year term, so he still has time. The indicator will be an agreement on a free trade area with the EU.
This will have major consequences. If he succeeds, it will be a great service. The Europeans and the United States recognize this. The Ukrainian nation will also recognize this if it stands up to Russian pressure to join the Customs Union."
When asked to comment on the biggest obstacle to democratization and reform in Ukraine, Taylor said: "It seems to me that the biggest obstacle is the ongoing cynicism on the part of many Ukrainians.
They think that their rulers are against them, the Russians are pressurizing them, the Americans treat them unfairly, and the Europeans don’t let Ukraine in the EU – why then bother? This cynicism is more typical for the older rather than younger generation. "
Taylor served as U.S. ambassador to Ukraine from 2006 to 2009. He currently works as the vice president of the Center for Post-Conflict Peace and Stability Operations at the United States Institute of Peace.
