DFM YELISEYEV REVIEWS BILATERAL AGENDA

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 KYIV 001592

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/14/2019
TAGS: PREL PGOV UP RS
SUBJECT: DFM YELISEYEV REVIEWS BILATERAL AGENDA

Classified By: Charge James Pettit. Reasons: 1.4 (b/d).

Summary
--------------


1. (C) In a September 14 meeting with Charge, Deputy Foreign
Minister Yeliseyev:

-- urged the U.S. to agree on a format and dates for the
Commission on Strategic Partnership;

-- expressed the hope that there would be an encounter
between the two Presidents on the margins of UNGA;

-- outlined a program of bilateral engagement with Russia,
including two FM meetings and one, perhaps two, Putin working
visits to Ukraine;

-- expressed dismay at Ukraine MOD's abrupt cancellation of
visit of their CHOD to the U.S.;

-- said MFA would have to respond publicly to the Russian
Duma's bill on the use of force. End Summary.


Commission on Strategic Partnership
--------------


2. (C) Deputy FM Kostyantyn Yeliseyev invited Charge to the
MFA September 14 to review the bilateral agenda. Yeliseyev
affirmed that since acting FM Khandogiy would in all
likelihood remain as acting FM until after the Presidential
election, Yeliseyev had assumed responsibility for U.S.
relations. Yeliseyev expressed the hope that the U.S. would
soon finalize its position on how to structure the new
Ukraine-U.S. Commission on Strategic Partnership. He
underlined that Ukraine wanted to accelerate the process and
hold the inaugural meeting of the Commission as soon as
possible. Yeliseyev reiterated the Ukrainian position that
acting FM Khandogiy and Secretary Clinton formally chair the
Commission. However, he understood that the U.S. favored
holding the first session of the Commission in Washington at
the level of coordinators -- which would be A/S Gordon and
himself. The GOU would be agreeable to this.

UNGA
--------------


3. (C) President Yushchenko will be in New York September
21-24. Yushchenko plans to attend President Obama's speech
at the General Assembly. Yeliseyev said that the Ukrainian
side hopes there can be a short meeting between the two on
the margins of the UNGA. This would demonstrate the
significance of Ukraine to the U.S. and would be important to
Yushchenko politically. Yeliseyev said that acting FM
Khandogiy also hopes to meet with U/S Burns on the margins of
the UNGA. The MFA would welcome confirmation of the date and
time for such a meeting.

Invitations
--------------


4. (C) Yeliseyev reiterated the GOU's interest in hosting a
visit to Ukraine by Secretary Clinton. The GOU would also
welcome a visit by A/S Gordon. Yeliseyev observed that A/S
Gordon had traveled around the region, including recently to
Moscow, but had thus far not visited Ukraine. Some in the
Ukrainian media, which follows such matters closely, are
interpreting this as the U.S. ignoring Ukraine.


5. (C) Charge replied that Vice President Biden's recent
visit made clear the importance that the U.S. attaches to
Ukraine. Further, we maintain a steady stream of senior
visits, such as that of Assistant Secretary of Defense
Vershbow (and delegation) later this month. Ukraine is and
will remain an important destination for senior U.S.
officials.

Russian Engagement
--------------


6. (C) Yeliseyev noted that FM Lavrov and acting FM Khandogiy
have a meeting scheduled on the margins of the UNGA. In
addition, they have another meeting planned in the course of
an October 6-7 bilateral, envisioned at the level of Prime
Ministers, to be held in Kharkiv. Bilateral economic issues
will be the focus; Governors from nearby areas of Russia and
Ukraine will also participate. Yeliseyev pointed out that
MFA had proposed issuing a joint statement at the meeting;
the Russian side had refused.


7. (C) Heads of government from the CIS will also meet in

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Crimea (probably Yalta) on November 19. Yeliseyev said the
MFA understood Putin probably would attend. Russian DFM
Denisov recently told Ukrainian Amb. Gryshchenko that Putin
was unlikely to attend both the Crimea and the Kharkiv
meetings. Putin did not want to appear to be interfering in
Ukraine's presidential election by visiting too often.


8. (C) (In a September 15 meeting with Charge, Deputy Prime
Minister Nemyria agreed that the optic of two Putin visits in
such a short period would raise eyebrows in the context of
the Presidential campaign. He thought that the timing of
the PM meeting in Kharkiv could be moved to be just before or
after the CIS meeting, which would allow Putin to do both in
one trip.)

Abrupt Cancellation of CHOD Visit
--------------


9. (C) Charge raised the issue of the abrupt cancellation on
September 12 -- with less than 24 hours notice -- of the
visit to the U.S. of Chief of the General Staff Kyrychenko.
This was to have been a major mil-mil visit, with meetings to
include Admiral Mullen and General Petraeus. Charge
expressed disappointment with acting Defense Minister
Ivashchenko's decision to cancel -- and the eleventh hour
timing.


10. (C) Yeliseyev expressed complete surprise over the
cancellation. He termed it "inexcusable, inappropriate and
not the policy of the Foreign Ministry." He lept from his
chair to call Ivashchenko for an explanation, but was unable
to reach him. Yeliseyev said he would relay the "very
depressing news" immediately to acting FM Khandogiy, who was
soon to leave with Yushchenko for a visit to Turkmenistan.
Ivashchenko was accompanying the President as well.
(Ivashenko's travel with the President was the stated reason
for the cancellation; he said he could not permit the CHOD to
leave Ukraine while he too was away.)


11. (C) Yeliseyev observed that he and Ivashchenko had been
together late Saturday night for a Cabinet of Ministers
meeting on the national budget. Ivashchenko had sat near
Yeliseyev, but had mentioned nothing about the cancellation.
Yeliseyev offered to get back to Charge with an explanation.



12. (C) (In his September 15 meeting with Charge, DPM Nemyria
also expressed surprise at the cancellation. Nemyria said
that the President had taken more than six Ministers with him
to Turkmenistan leaving empty seats at the Council of
Ministers' final budget meeting on September 14. Nemyria
assumed the cancellation was Ivashchenko's decision,
presumably with the consent of the President.)

Budget
--------------


13. (C) Speaking of the budget, Yeliseyev termed the
situation "very difficult" with a planned deficit of four
percent. He did not expect that, with the upcoming election,
the Rada would approve the budget by the end of the year. He
observed that, once again, there would be no funding for a
NATO information program in Ukraine. Nonetheless, he noted
that the Cabinet of Ministers was poised to approve on
September 16 the program related to Ukraine's Annual National
Plan (ANP) with NATO. This would allow the 40 ministries and
agencies involved to implement the ANP. (DPM Nemyria
confirmed to Charge September 15 that the Cabinet of
Ministers was ready to approve the plan.)

Russian Duma Bill on Use of Military
--------------


14. (C) Yeliseyev said the MFA was pondering how to respond
to the Russian Duma's recent passage in a first reading of
the draft law on the use of Russian military forces. The
bill had generated intense media attention in Ukraine, where
it is seen as expanding the scope for Russian military
involvement in the area Russia considers its zone of
privileged interests. Yeliseyev observed that the level of
media interest in Ukraine demands a GOU response. He said
the GOU would likely issue a measured statement, as
Yushchenko had done after Medvedev's August letter.
Yeliseyev noted that the Rada was currently reviewing drafts
of its own statement in reaction to Medvedev's August letter.
Four drafts are under consideration; however, since
disagreements in the Rada on relations with Russia are so
broad, none might pass.

Energy
--------------


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15. (SBU) Ukraine continues to push for the "re-reversing" of
the Odesa-Brody pipeline, Yeliseyev said. Ukraine would
welcome another visit by Ambassador Morningstar.

Ambassadors' Conference
--------------


16. (SBU) Yeliseyev volunteered that all Ukrainian
Ambassadors -- from 130 missions -- would be in Kyiv October
12-14 for an MFA conference on current challenges in
Ukrainian diplomacy. Off the cuff, he remarked that MFA
would welcome the chance to have Secretary Clinton address
the Ambassadors if she wanted to time a visit to Kyiv to
coincide with the convocation.
PETTIT