UKRAINE: POTENTIAL JOINT MANPADS EVENT: GOU

S E C R E T KIEV 001185 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/28/2016 TAGS: MARR MOPS PREL PARM SUBJECT: UKRAINE: POTENTIAL JOINT MANPADS EVENT: GOU INFORMED Classified By: Political Counselor Aubrey A. Carlson for reasons 1.4(b, d) ¶1. (S) PolOff and Army Attache provided ref A information on a potential joint MANPADS event March 28 to Oleksiy Melnyk, First Assistant to Defense Minister Hrytsenko. Melnyk noted the weeks of May 1 and May 8 could be problematic due to the number of holidays. (Note: May 1 and 2 are official holidays for International Labor Day, and May 9 is Victory Day. Due to the holidays' close proximity, many Ukrainians are on vacation between May 1 and May 9.) We stressed that, since the meeting should not last more than two days, it could take place in the latter half of the week of May 8, i.e., in the timeframe of May 10-12. Melnyk said he would inform DefMin Hrytsenko the evening of March 28, after his return to Kiev, and hoped to have a reply to us within a week. ¶2. (U) Visit Embassy Kiev's classified website: www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/kiev. Herbst