UKRAINE: CFE POSITION PARALLELS U.S.

C O N F I D E N T I A L KYIV 001761 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT ALSO FOR EUR/UMB, EUR/RPM, AND EUR/PRA E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/19/2017 TAGS: PARM PREL KCFE OSCE UP SUBJECT: UKRAINE: CFE POSITION PARALLELS U.S. REF: KYIV 1327 Classified By: Political Counselor Kent Logsdon for reasons 1.4(b,d) ¶1. (U) This is an action request. See paragraph 5. ¶2. (U) During a July 18 press conference with his visiting Canadian counterpart, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk expressed a position that closely tracked Department's July 14 statement on Russia's announcement that it would suspend implementation of the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) treaty. According to the media, Yatsenyuk said that the matter "causes some concern around the world, including Ukraine, because this Treaty pertains directly to Ukraine, one of the four countries that ratified the document." He opined that not all means and methods to bring Russia back into the treaty had been exhausted, and expressed the hope that dialogue could resume. ¶3. (C) During a July 17 reception, MFA Arms Control Director Volodymyr Belashov told us that an MFA statement, prepared well in advance of the formal Russian announcement, was being held up in the interagency clearance process in the Presidential Secretariat, primarily due to President Yushchenko's ongoing vacation in Crimea. In brief comments, Belashov indicated that the statement would note the treaty's importance to regional security, expressing regret over the Russian move and urging that discussions take place to convince Russia to resume its participation in the treaty, all consistent with Yatsenyuk's statement to the press. ¶4. (C) Belashov also reiterated the views relayed reftel on his strong desire to hold consultations with U.S. CFE experts on the way forward. He noted that the Russian Embassy had already presented Russia's reasons for its action during a July 16 meeting and that he would soon fly to Ankara to hold consultations with Turkish counterparts on the issue. He expressed his disappointment that the U.S. had chosen to focus on bilateral efforts and consultations and was not doing more to present its case in multilateral fora, such as the OSCE, where the Russians were engaged in a full-court press to present their case to member countries and the public. With regard to the timing of consultations with CFE experts, Belashov noted that, in addition to being on leave for the first two weeks of August, he would also be unavailable August 27-29, when MFA would be hosting an annual gathering of its ambassadors worldwide. ¶5. (C) Comment and Action Request: We strongly support Belashov's request to hold consultations and ask the Department to dispatch appropriate experts soonest. Belashov is concerned about the implications of Russia's CFE suspension on Ukrainian security. He also possesses a deep knowledge of CFE details and keen understanding of Russian psychology and motivations for acting as they do. In addition, Ukraine is in a position to influence Azerbaijan on the issue, since it has supplied much of Azerbaijan's recently acquired CFE-reportable equipment. Azerbaijan has been on the fence with regard to CFE, and, for example, refused to join other GUAM countries in associating with the NATO statement at the closing plenary of the CFE Extraordiary Conference in Vienna. We should engage with Ukraine to enlist Ukrainian support for our CFE approach moving forward. ¶6. (U) Visit Embassy Kyiv's classified website: www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/kiev. Taylor