UKRAINE: FM TARASYUK, NSAU CHIEF ALEXEYEV PRESS

C O N F I D E N T I A L KIEV 001772 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/27/2016 TAGS: MARR MCAP PREL PINR US UP SUBJECT: UKRAINE: FM TARASYUK, NSAU CHIEF ALEXEYEV PRESS FOR GREATER MISSILE DEFENSE COOPERATION Classified By: Classified By: Ambassador for reasons 1.4(b,d) ¶1. (C) Summary: Foreign Minister Borys Tarasyuk and National Space Agency of Ukraine (NSAU) Director Yuri Alekseyev urged greater U.S.-Ukraine cooperation on ballistic missile defense during an April 26 meeting at MFA with U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) Director Lt Gen (USAF) Trey Obering III and Ambassador. The Ukrainian officials pressed for establishment of a bilateral cooperative agreement to underpin greater cooperation; Lt Gen Obering explained he was in Ukraine primarily to assess Ukrainian capabilities. He was impressed by what he had seen during his visit to Pivdenne (in Russian, Yuzhnoye) design bureau and factory facilities in the eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipropetrovsk and would recommend the start of a USG interagency process to authorize negotiations on such an agreement. Alekseyev also asked MDA to arrange a missile-defense related event in Ukraine in 2007; Obering said he would consider the request. End summary. ¶2. (C) Also present on the Ukrainian side were NSAU Deputy Director Valeri Komarov and MFA Arms Control and Military-Technical Cooperation Department Director Volodymyr Belashov. MDA Deputy Director for International Affairs David Scearse, DATT, and PolOff (notetaker) were the other U.S. participants in the meeting. Political Commitments -------------- ¶3. (C) Foreign Minister Tarasyuk recalled that the U.S. and Ukrainian Presidents had issued a joint statement in April 2005 that included reference to cooperation in the missile defense area. (Note: The joint statement expressed the desire of the U.S. and Ukraine to "work together on missile defense, including beginning negotiations on a framework agreement to facilitate such cooperation and closer industry-to-industry collaboration.") The Ukrainian government remained committed to achieving this goal and welcomed Obering's visit and the early April visit of MDA Deputy Director McNamara in furtherance of U.S.-Ukraine missile defense cooperation. During his March visit to the U.S., Tarasyuk said he had met with Boeing and Lockheed-Martin representatives and concluded the time was ripe for the Ministry of Defense and Department of Defense to conclude an agreement on missile defense cooperation. NSAU Director Alekseyev chimed in with his own appeal for an agreement. ¶4. (C) Obering cautioned that his primary purpose in visiting Ukraine was to assess Ukrainian capabilities and develop the relationships necessary to foster better cooperation in the future. That said, he had been impressed by what he had seen during his visit to Pivdenne (in Russian, Yuzhnoye) design bureau and factory facilities in the eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipropetrovsk. While the possibilities for sharing of radar data were not very good, the evident Ukrainian technical expertise and professionalism showed great potential in the area of target and countermeasures development. During the Cold War years, Ukraine had developed in areas that were now complementary to U.S. strengths. Ballistic missile defense was not targeted at Russia but at the possible threat from a rogue nation. Ukraine possessed a deep understanding of missile characteristics, including launch platforms and engines, that had the potential to assist MDA programs. In Obering's view, this knowledge, Ukrainian technical capability, and Ukraine's strategic location argued in favor of greater cooperation in the future. While cautioning that this was a slow process, he would recommend the USG begin the interagency process required to expand future cooperation upon his return to Washington. Turning the Pages of History -------------- ¶5. (C) Tarasyuk recalled that Ukraine's possession of ICBMs had been a contentious issue and thorny diplomatic problem that consumed U.S.-Ukraine bilateral relations in the early 1990s. Then, U.S. diplomatic efforts had been directed at eliminating Ukraine's missile capability; thankfully, the capability had not been totally eliminated, and it could now be an asset for both countries. Ironically, Tarasyuk noted, missiles had moved from being a source of mistrust and disagreement to the means for building trust now. A Ukraine-Based Event -------------- ¶6. (C) Obering informed Tarasyuk that he had invited Alekseyev to speak at the next Ballistic Missile Defense Multinational Conference, to be held in London. NSAU Deputy Director Komarov had delivered remarks at the September 2005 conference in Rome, and Alekseyev's participation in 2006 would be welcome. Alekseyev noted that GOU approval for his trip would partly depend on Tarasyuk. He urged Obering, half-jokingly, to consider holding a future multinational conference in Sevastopol. When Obering and Scearse explained venues had been set through 2008 (2007 in Maastricht and 2008 in Sydney),Alekseyev appealed to have some sort of event in Ukraine; Obering and Scearse said they would consider the possibility. ¶7. (U) Lt Gen Obering did not have an opportunity to clear this cable. ¶8. (U) Visit Embassy Kiev's classified website: www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/kiev. Gwaltney