On November 10, Foreign Minister of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken signed the charter of strategic partnership in Washington. The document determines the basic guidelines of bilateral relations in the key spheres for decades to come.
The updated charter will replace the similar document that Ukraine and the United States concluded in 2008. The current version has a number of changes necessitated by modern realities of the world particularly the aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine.
The charter of strategic partnership says that the United States confirms its commitment to support the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine within her internationally recognized borders, including the Crimean peninsula. The charter also provides for broadening bilateral cooperation the main purpose of which is to strengthen European security in the Black Sea region and enhance energy security of this region’s countries.
According to the charter, Washington pledges its commitment to support the official Kyiv’s aspirations to become a member of European and Euro-Atlantic institutions. The document assesses positively the progress Ukraine has achieved in reforming the judicial system, creating anti-corruption agencies, implementing land reform, decentralization and de-oligarchisation.
Besides, the new charter assures the unwavering American support for the Ukrainian government’s ambitious plans of reforming the national economy, the plans which provide for the modernization of key sectors of the economy and encouraging foreign investments.
Ukraine and the United States revise the charter every ten years or earlier if the signatories decide that the document needs changes.
Following the talks that were held by the Ukraine-the U.S. Commission for strategic partnership, Antony Blinken announced that Washington would allocate additional financing for strengthening Ukraine’s security sector.
During the talks with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba, the high-ranking American official said that Washington would continue to provide security assistance that Ukraine needs, including lethal defense weapons.
Antony Blinken also stated, "We're concerned by reports of unusual Russian military activity near Ukraine. We're monitoring the region very closely, as we always do, we'll continue to consult closely as well with allies and partners on this issue.” He warned that any Russian escalation along the border would be viewed with “grave concern.”
During the Ukrainian-American talks, Karen Donfried, the assistant secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia, informed that Washington had warned Russian officials about potential consequences for “any increased threat to Ukraine’s security.”
She also assured the Ukrainian party during the talks that Washington would continue to support Ukraine and condemn Russian aggression against this country in any form.
Referring to the recent talks in Moscow, Donfried noted that CIA Director William Burns had successfully delivered a message to Kremlin officials, the message he saw fit to deliver to them.
The assistant secretary of State emphasized Washington’s intention to continue to closely monitor everything that Russians are doing near the border of Ukraine.
Commenting on the signing of the strategic partnership charter, Foreign Minister Kuleba concluded, “The best way to curb the aggressive Russia is to let the Kremlin know that Ukraine is strong and has strong allies. And her allies won’t leave her alone with the aggressor. It’s exactly such a signal that we’ve sent to Moscow today.”
In the opinion of many political analysts, important and symbolic is the fact that the signing of the updated charter and the “reloading” of the Ukraine-the U.S. Commission for strategic partnership took place in the face of Russia’s new attempt to escalate tension near the border of Ukraine.
The popular Ukrainian newspaper Zerkalo Nedeli (Mirror of the Week) wrote, “Washington has sent yet another clear signal to Moscow that shows who it regards the aggressor and to whom it will continue rendering assistance in counteracting the aggression.”
The newspaper Voice of Ukraine
