FORMAL REQUEST FOR A BRIEFING FROM THE GOU ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L KYIV 001751

SIPDIS

STATE FOR ISN/MTR; EUR/PRA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/09/2019
TAGS: ETTC PARM PREL MNUC UP
SUBJECT: FORMAL REQUEST FOR A BRIEFING FROM THE GOU ON
PROPOSED UKRAINE-SAUDI SPACE LAUNCH COOPERATION (C)

REF: SECSTATE 102973

Classified By: Political Counselor Colin Cleary, Reason 1.4 (b, d)


1. (C) Embassy delivered reftel demarche and talking points
to Ministry of Foreign Affairs Department of Arms Control and
Military Technical Cooperation officer Oleksander Osadchiy on
September 28. Following up in a meeting with Maryna
Yermakova of the Proliferation Security division of the same
Department on October 6, Embassy stressed that we hoped to
see a positive response from the Ministry as soon as
possible, and reiterated reftel points verbally. Finally,
Embassy met with First Secretary Maxim Osovalyuk in the MTCR
Office of the same Department on October 9, and again
reiterated the demarche points.


2. (C) Osovalyuk responded that Ukraine had already agreed
to the requested meeting during the Non-Proliferation Working
Group meetings in Kyiv on September 23-24, and supposed that
the two sides could meet on the margins of the Rio MTCR
Plenary. He said that Ukrainian experts would be present for
the expert level meetings before the Plenary, and they could
easily arrange the requested meeting at that time. He asked
what questions in particular the U.S. would have for the
experts, and noted that Ukraine might itself raise the
proposed transfer during the Rio meetings in order to provide
information to all of the MTCR partners. Osovalyuk said a
formal response to our diplomatic note was being prepared by
the National Space Agency of Ukraine and the Export Control
authorities, but the response could take some time and he
could not promise when we would have it.


3. (C) Embassy reminded Osovalyuk that the U.S. had been
promised a full briefing by the Ukrainian side in April 2009,
yet this request had been interpreted as informal, and
despite assurances given at the time, was not acted on by the
GoU. Therefore, we would like to nail down as many specifics
as possible for the meeting in Rio, well in advance, and to
ensure the right people would be there and that the exchange
would be effective and useful. Embassy noted that time is
growing short. Referring specifically to reftel points and
the diplomatic note already provided, Embassy emphasized our
request to have information on the proposed transfer
sufficiently in advance to allow us to study it, and that we
could not provide our specific areas of further interest to
the GoU without this information.
PETTIT