(U) DEPUTY SECRETARY STEINBERG'S DECEMBER 3, 2009,

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 USNATO 000573

NOFORN
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/03/2019
TAGS: OVIP STEINBERG JAMES PREL NATO UP RS
SUBJECT: (U) DEPUTY SECRETARY STEINBERG'S DECEMBER 3, 2009,
PARTICIPATION IN THE NATO-UKRAINE COMMISSION


1. (U) Classified by: Amy Scanlon, D(S) Special Assistant,
Department of State. Reason 1.4.(d)


2. (U) December 4, 2009; 3:30 p.m.; Brussels, Belgium.


3. (U) Participants:

U.S.
Deputy Secretary Steinberg
Ambassador Ivo Daalder
A/S Phil Gordon, EUR
Amy Scanlon, D(S) Special Assistant
Alejandro Baez (Notetaker)

Ukraine
Foreign Minister Petro Poroshenko
Ambassador Ihor Sagach

NATO
Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen
Admiral Giampaolo Di Paola, Chairman of the NATO Military
Committee

NATO Allies
Albania: Illir Meta, Foreign Minister
Belgium: Steven Vanackere, Foreign Minister
Bulgaria: Todor Churov, Permanent Representative to NATO
Canada: Yves Brodeur, Assistant Deputy Minister of Foreign
Affairs
Croatia: Gordan Jandrokovic, Foreign Minister
Czech Republic: Jan Kohout, Foreign Minister
Denmark: Per Stig Moller, Foreign Minister
Estonia: Urmas Paet, Foreign Minister
France: Pascale Andreani, Permanent Representative to NATO
Germany: Ulrich Brandenburg, Permanent Representative to NATO
Greece: Dimitrios Droutsas, Alternate Foreign Minister
Hungary: Peter Balazs, Foreign Minister
Iceland: Thorsteinn Ingolfsson, Permanent Representative to
NATO
Italy: Stefano Stefanini, Permanent Representative to NATO
Latvia: Maris Riekstins, Foreign Minister
Lithuania: Evaldas Ignatavicius, Vice-Minister of Foreign
Affairs
Luxembourg: Jean Asselborn, Foreign Minister
Netherlands: Maxime Verhagen, Foreign Minister
Norway: Jonas Gahr Store, Foreign Minister
Poland: Radoslaw Sikorski, Foreign Minister
Portugal: Luis Amado, Foreign Minister
Romania: Sorin Ducaru, Permanent Representative to NATO
Slovakia: Miroslav Lajcak, Foreign Minister
Slovenia: Samuel Zbogar, Foreign Minister
Spain: Miguel Angel Moratinos Cuyaube, Foreign Minister
Turkey: Ahmet Davutoglu, Foreign Minister
UK: Stewart Eldon, Permanent Representative to NATO



4. (C/NF) SUMMARY. Ukrainian FM Poroshenko told Allies that
Kyiv was taking pragmatic and realistic steps toward its goal
of NATO membership and that it was pleased with the results
of its first Annual National Program. Poroshenko announced
that Ukraine intended to triple its contribution to the
NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF)
operation in Afghanistan. He also said that Ukraine was
taking a more pragmatic stance in its relationship with
Russia and was working to ensure the security of energy
supplies transiting its territory. Poroshenko said he hoped
Ukraine could contribute to the discussions informing the
development of NATO's new Strategic Concept. Poroshenko
expressed thanks for Allied and partner support during
Ukraine's recent H1N1 crisis.


5. (C/NF) SUMMARY CONTINUED. Allies reaffirmed their support
for the Bucharest Summit decision that Ukraine would someday
become a member of NATO, but stressed that Ukraine needed to
carry out significant reforms in order to meet NATO's
performance-based standards. Secretary General Rasmussen
said that the upcoming presidential elections needed to meet
international standards, while several Allies said that it
was important that NATO membership not become a campaign
issue. Deputy Secretary Steinberg stressed the importance of
public support for Ukraine's membership aspirations, while
Polish FM Sikorski also stressed the need for a non-partisan
approach to NATO among Ukraine's political elite. END SUMMARY



USNATO 00000573 002 OF 003


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NATO Membership and the ANP
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6. (C/NF) At the December 3 NATO-Ukraine Commission Foreign
Ministerial, Ukrainian FM Poroshenko said that Kyiv was
taking pragmatic and realistic steps toward its goal of NATO
membership. He said that Ukraine was pleased with the
results of its first Annual National Program (ANP) cycle,
adding that the Ukrainian government had already prepared its
ANP document for 2010. He said that Kyiv recognized the work
it still needed to do in a number of areas, such as in the
fight against corruption.


7. (C/NF) Allies reaffirmed NATO's commitment to the
Bucharest Summit decision that Ukraine would one day become a
member of NATO, but stressed that the burden fell on Ukraine
to carry out the reforms necessary to meet NATO's
performance-based standards. While commending the progress
achieved thus far in the new ANP process, Allies sent a
consistent message that they expected significantly more from
Ukraine than it had so far been able to achieve. Steinberg
urged Ukraine to make better use of its ANP next year,
including politically and economically feasible reform goals.
Polish FM Sikorski stressed that Ukraine needed a
"consistent" implementation of its reforms, while Dutch
Foreign Minister Verhagen said that Ukraine needed to show
progress in the areas of rule of law and the fight against
corruption, and security sector reform. Other Allies made
similar remarks, with several also including the need for
Kyiv to improve its interagency coordination processes
related to NATO.


8. (C/NF) Secretary General Rasmussen told Poroshenko that
Allies expected high standards during the upcoming
presidential elections. Poroshenko said the elections would
be free and fair, adding that Kyiv had invited a thousand
observers to monitor the elections in order to demonstrate
the stability of its democracy.


9. (C/NF) Sikorski led Allies in stressing the need for a
non-partisan, pro-NATO consensus within Ukraine's political
class, as well as within the Ukrainian public at large.
Sikorski stressed that it was important that NATO membership
not become a key issue during the upcoming Ukrainian
presidential election. Steinberg made a similar point,
noting that Allies cannot want NATO membership for Ukraine
more than Ukrainians want it for themselves. Other Allies
echoed similar themes. In response, Poroshenko said that
none of the major presidential candidates had tried to
politicize NATO membership and that public support for NATO
membership now outranked those opposed 32 percent to 29
percent, with the rest undecided.

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Contributions to NATO-led Operations
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10. (C/NF) Reminding Allies that Ukraine participates in
more NATO-led operations than any other NATO partner,
Poroshenko announced that Ukraine's National Security and
Defense Committee had decided on November 20 to triple its
participation in the International Security Assistance Force
(ISAF) mission in Afghanistan. Allies welcomed the news and
commended Kyiv for its commitment to operations. Steinberg
said that Ukraine's participation in operations demonstrated
Ukraine's commitment to becoming a security provider.

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Relations with Russia
--------------


11. (C/NF) Poroshenko said that Ukraine was trying to be
pragmatic in its relations with Russia. At the same time, he
urged Allies to oppose any efforts by Russia to claim a
sphere of influence or to exercise a veto over Ukraine's
membership aspirations. German PermRep Brandenburg commended
this pragmatic approach, as did Italian PermRep Stefanini.
Stefanini also reassured Poroshenko that Allies would oppose
Russian efforts to assert a sphere of influence.

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Security of Energy Supplies
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USNATO 00000573 003 OF 003



12. (C/NF) Poroshenko said that Ukraine had taken concrete
steps to avoid a gas crisis with Russia similar to the ones
it had had in recent years. He said that Kyiv had settled
its payment to Moscow, leaving no outstanding debt to Russia.
He also said that Ukraine had spent USD 7 billion to build
up a reserve energy supply. Slovakia, the Czech Republic,
and Hungary were among the Allies who said that they expected
Ukraine to take all necessary steps to be a reliable energy
transit country.

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Strategic Concept
--------------


13. (C/NF) Poroshenko said that Ukraine hoped to be able to
contribute to the ongoing NATO discussion about the
development of a new NATO Strategic Concept, particularly as
the Concept would be binding on Kyiv when Ukraine finally
does join the Alliance. He said that he hoped the Concept
would reaffirm NATO's Open Door policy. He also suggested
the idea of some form of security guarantees for non-NATO
members, such as Ukraine, which had voluntarily given up
nuclear weapons.

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Thanks for H1N1 Support
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14. (C/NF) Poroshenko expressed his thanks to those Allies
and partners which had provided assistance, via the
Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Center, during
Ukraine's H1N1 crisis.
DAALDER