UKRAINE: OFFER OF MISSILE WARNING COOPERATION MORE

C O N F I D E N T I A L KYIV 001631


SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/18/2018
TAGS: PARM PGOV PINR PREL UP
SUBJECT: UKRAINE: OFFER OF MISSILE WARNING COOPERATION MORE
POLITICAL THAN PRACTICAL

Classified By: Charge for reasons 1.4 (b,d)


1. (C) Summary and Comment: On August 16, Ukraine's MFA
announced that Ukraine was ready to develop active
cooperation on early warning and missile monitoring systems
with "European countries." It also stated that President
Yushchenko on August 13 ordered Ukraine's withdrawal from a
1992 missile defense agreement with Russia. This follows
Russia's announced withdrawal from the agreement in February

2008. The two early warning radars that Ukraine has offered
for integration into a wider monitoring system, based in
Mukacheve in western Ukraine and Sevastopol in Crimea, are
short-to-medium-range tactical systems. The same systems
were offered for use to Lt. General Obering, head of the US
Missile Defense Agency, during his early 2007 visit to
Ukraine -- discussions on this offer are ongoing. Post views
the Ukrainian statement, which generated extensive
international media coverage, primarily as a political signal
(vice military/technical) regarding Ukraine's ongoing hopes
for further military cooperation and integration with the
West, and as a counter to Russia's negative reaction to the
US-Polish Missile Defense agreement. End Summary and
Comment.

MFA Announces Readiness to Cooperate
--------------


2. (C) On August 16, Ukraine's MFA announced publicly that
it was ready to develop active cooperation with "European"
countries on early warning and missile monitoring systems.
(Note: Since at least early 2007, the U.S. and Ukraine
privately have been discussing the possibility of using these
radars as part of U.S. missile defense. U.S. and Ukrainian
experts continue to discuss the capabilities of the radars to
assess their potential suitability in a missile detection and
tracking system, but no decision has been on whether the U.S.
will be interested in using these radars. End Note.) The
move, which came out as a presidential decree on August 13,
was seen by many as evidence of Yushchenko's desire to move
closer to the West on security issues and underlined
continuing Ukraine-Russian tensions. It also served as a
counterweight to Russia's negative reaction to the bilateral
U.S.-Polish Missile Defense agreement. The MFA statement
noted that closer cooperation with Europe on missile early
warning systems became possible after Russia withdrew from
its 1992 missile defense agreement with Ukraine in February

2008. According to the MFA statement,the early warning
systems in question are located in Mukacheve in western
Ukraine and Sevastopol in Crimea.


3. (U) The MFA stated that "The Russian Federation's
withdrawal from the bilateral agreement between the Russian
and Ukrainian governments on early warning and outer space
monitoring systems, makes it unfeasible for Ukraine to
further participate in the July 6, 1992 treaty." The MFA
added that "this will enable Ukraine to establish active
cooperation with European countries to integrate Ukrainian
early warning systems with other systems, and possibly other
foreign states...." It noted that termination of the
agreement will go into effect one year after written
notification of withdrawal from the agreement by either side.
(Note: This seems to indicate that the agreement will
officially be terminated in February 2009. End note.)


4. (C) Many viewed Russia's decision to pull out as a sign
of disapproval for Ukraine's application for NATO MAP in the
run-up to the NATO Summit in Bucharest in April 2008.
However some press accounts reported that Russia decided to
transfer early warning functions from Mukacheve and
Sevastopol to other locations in Russia because the technical
service life of the facilities in Ukraine had expired in

2005. MFA NATO Deputy DG Vadym Prystaiko also told Post
August 17 that the radar systems, which are now under the
control of Ukraine's Space Agency, generated decent "rental"
income from Russia, and that the GOU is looking actively for
other funding sources.


5. (U) Visit Embassy Kyiv's classified website:
www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/kiev.
PETTIT