UKRAINE: YANUKOVYCH STILL BITTER ABOUT THE

C O N F I D E N T I A L KIEV 000713 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/21/2016 TAGS: PREL PGOV LH SUBJECT: UKRAINE: YANUKOVYCH STILL BITTER ABOUT THE "PUTSCH" (AKA ORANGE REVOLUTION) DENYING HIM THE PRESIDENCY? REF: KIEV 643 Classified By: Ambassador, reason 1.4 (b,d) ¶1. (C) As of December 2005, Yanukovych still expressed bitterness about what he saw as the December 2004 "putsch" denying him the Presidency, according to Lithuanian Embassy Political Counselor Darius Vitkauskas. Vitkauskas told us February 21 that when the Lithuanian Ambassador saw Yanukovych in December 2005 for the first time since the Orange Revolution, Yanukovych exploded into a finger-pointing tirade even before initial pleasantries could be exchanged. Referring to Lithuanian President Adamkus' role in the "roundtable" negotiations between then-PM Yanukovych, then-opposition leader Yushchenko, then-President Kuchma, then-Polish President Kwasniewski, and EU High Commissioner Solana, Yanukovych said accusingly, "You participated in last December's putsch. You allowed yourself to be used as part of Kuchma's machinations. Your activities then will have negative implications for Lithuanian-Ukrainian relations going forward. But somehow, we'll figure out a way to get through it." ¶2. (C) Vitkauskas added that, after Yanukovych delivered a smoothly presented speech February 14 outlying a pro-business platform to diplomatic representatives (reftel),he (Vitkauskas) talked with Regions Foreign Policy adviser Ambassador Orel, formerly Ukraine's Ambassador to Italy and before that a foreign policy adviser to Kuchma. Orel told Vitkauskas that Yanukovych remained deeply suspicious of the West and of the United States in particular, but that those within Regions better disposed toward the West were working to "moderate" Yanukovych's views in this regard. ¶3. (C) Comment: The Lithuanian vignette indicates that Yanukovych continues to feel he was mistreated, including by Kuchma, during Ukraine's 2004 presidential election crisis. ¶4. (U) Visit Embassy Kiev's classified website at: www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/kiev. HERBST