UKRAINE: PEACEKEEPERS AND KOSOVO POST-INDEPENDENCE

C O N F I D E N T I A L KYIV 002831 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT ALSO FOR EUR/UMB, EUR/SCE AND EUR/RPM E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/16/2017 TAGS: PREL PBTS KDEM UNMIK OSCE YI MD RS UP SUBJECT: UKRAINE: PEACEKEEPERS AND KOSOVO POST-INDEPENDENCE REF: USUN NEW YORK 1026 Classified By: Ambassador for reasons 1.4 (b,d). ¶1. (U) This is a request for Department guidance. Please advise on how we should respond to Ukrainian Defense Minister Hrytsenko's inquiry on contingency planning for possible Kosovo independence. ¶2. (C) During a November 15 meeting with EUR DAS David Kramer, Defense Minister Hrytsenko inquired what the U.S. foresaw as the likely outcome in Kosovo in the event the ongoing U.S.-EU-Russia Troika process failed to produce a political settlement by its December 10 end-date. In particular, was Kosovo likely to make a unilateral declaration of independence? When Kramer acknowledged this was a possibility, Hrytsenko noted that Ukraine maintained peacekeeping forces in Kosovo and urged the U.S. to share its thinking regarding possible continuation or modification of the peacekeeping presence in an independent Kosovo. He needed advance knowledge of U.S. planning so that Ukraine could adjust the mission of the Ukrainian contingent as necessary such as, for example, by adjusting the unit's rules of engagement. He stressed that he did not want surprises and offered, if necessary, to go to Kosovo to consult with U.S. commanders on the ground. (Note: Hrytsenko's concerns mirror the UN's reported reftel.) ¶3. (U) Visit Embassy Kyiv's classified website: www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/kiev. Taylor