S E C R E T KYIV 000210

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT ALSO FOR PM/WRA, EUR/UMB, EUR/PRA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/29/2017
TAGS: MARR MOPS PREL PARM NATO PINR US UP
SUBJECT: UKRAINE: MANPADS ACQUISITION FOR COUNTERMEASURES
DEVELOPMENT

REF: A. KYIV 163 (NOTAL)

B. STATE 5539 (NOTAL)

Classified By: Political Counselor Kent Logsdon for reasons 1.4(b,c,d)


1. (S) On January 29, Ambassador, accompanied by DATT and
poloff, passed ref A non-paper to Defense Minister Anatoliy
Hrytsenko. Hrytsenko said he was frankly relieved the U.S.
had elected to pursue an approach that involved some level of
compensation to the Ukrainian government to transfer MANPADS
for countermeasures development. The Ukrainian government
had two well-worn paths for disposal of MANPADS missiles --
destruction and sale. Transfer of MANPADS missiles at no
cost had no precedent. If he had the authority to transfer
MANPADS missiles gratis to the U.S. government, Hrytsenko
said he would do so immediately. Since he did not, such a
transfer would require a laborious bureaucratic process
requiring authorization of numerous other Ukrainian
ministries and agencies. He could foresee a situation in
which the Ministry of Defense might obtain half the approvals
required, and then have to start over again because of a
change in government.


2. (S) Hrytsenko said that U.S. officials should now contact
Ukrspetsexport (USE) Director General Sergiy Bondarchuk or
other USE representatives to work out the practical details
of the MANPADS missile transfer. He would, however, also
contact Bondarchuk to stress that this should not be
considered a commercial transaction, but that the U.S. offer
was more of a symbolic price. Hrytsenko noted that Ukraine
was also benefiting from the substantial additional
contribution that the U.S. was making to the NATO PfP Trust
Fund for destruction of large-caliber munitions.


3. (U) Visit Embassy KYIV's classified website:
www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/kiev.
Taylor