Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06KIEV1772
2006-05-05 15:00:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Kyiv
Cable title:  

UKRAINE: FM TARASYUK, NSAU CHIEF ALEXEYEV PRESS

Tags:  MARR MCAP PREL PINR US UP 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXYZ0004
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHKV #1772/01 1251500
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 051500Z MAY 06
FM AMEMBASSY KIEV
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9206
INFO RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 2963
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
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)

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