UKRAINE: DEFENSE MINISTER ON NATO, JOB SECURITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L KIEV 001123

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/23/2016
TAGS: MARR PGOV PINR NATO
SUBJECT: UKRAINE: DEFENSE MINISTER ON NATO, JOB SECURITY


Classified By: Ambassador for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

Defense Minister On: NATO...
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1. (C) During a March 22 meeting with Ambassador, Defense
Minister Anatoly Hrytsenko said that he was in the process of
reorganizing his general staff to meet the NATO "J-System"
requirement. He added that he hoped a Membership Action Plan
(MAP) for Ukraine could be approved at the next NATO defense
ministers' meeting; Ukraine would be ready to move forward on
the MAP in the fall.


2. (C) In response to Ambassador's observation that much
depended on the upcoming parliamentary and local elections
and the coalition government that followed, Hrytsenko argued
that the new government would be supportive of Ukraine's NATO
aspirations -- even if it was an Our Ukraine and Party of
Regions coalition. Hrytsenko asserted that "Regions does not
care" about foreign policy issues; Hrytsenko dismissed
Regions' anti-NATO rhetoric as being solely for "domestic
consumption prior to the elections." When Ambassador noted
that Regions' leader Yanukovych in private had expressed
interest in cooperation with NATO but not NATO membership,
Hrytsenko reiterated that "Regions does not care about
foreign policy."

...And Job Security
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3. (C) Hrytsenko related that he had spoken last week with
Regions' financial patron, oligarch Rinat Akhmetov. He had
briefed the Donetsk clan godfather on NATO, seeking
Akhmetov's support for Rada approval of a joint Ukraine-NATO
training exercise (reftel). According to Hrytsenko, Akhmetov
said that Regions MPs would vote to approve the exercise
after the elections -- not before. The oligarch also
allegedly told Hrytsenko that he was doing a good job as
defense minister, a view Akhmetov claimed was shared by
"others" in Regions. Hrytsenko said the conversation with
Akhmetov suggested that he might stay on as defense minister
in an Our Ukraine-Regions coalition government, continuing to
direct the military/defense component of Ukraine's
Euro-Atlantic integration.

Comment
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4. (C) The anti-NATO public position of Regions is an
election device, but not only that. As Ambassador told
Hrytsenko, Yanukovych has said privately that he does not see
Ukraine seriously seeking NATO membership. If Regions would
be willing to permit Hrytsenko to stay on as defense minister
in a coalition government, it would be a clear sign of
Regions not wanting to dramatically alter a major aspect of
Ukraine's foreign policy course.
Herbst