Ukraine: Current Issues and U.S. Policy

Abstract

In Jan. 2005, Viktor Yushchenko became Ukraine's President, after massive demonstrations to overturn the former regime's electoral fraud, in what has been dubbed the "Orange Revolution". The Orange Revolution sparked interest in Congress. Some hoped Ukraine might embark on comprehensive reforms and Euro-Atlantic integration. However, infighting hampered economic reforms and led to disillusionment among supporters. In March 2006, Ukraine held parliamentary elections. The largest vote-getter was the Party of Regions, headed by Viktor Yanukovych, Yushchenko's opponent in 2004. President Yushchenko reluctantly appointed Yanukovych as Prime Minister, and the Ukrainian parliament approved the new government in Aug. 2006. A power struggle developed. In Apr. 2007, Yushchenko issued a decree dissolving the parliament and calling new elections. After a political and legal struggle over the constitutionality of the decree, the sides agreed to hold new elections in Sept. 2007. Although the elections confirmed the Party of Regions as the largest party in parliament, a strong performance by the party of former Prime Minister Yuliya Tymoshenko may lead to the return to power of the Orange Revolution parties. After taking office as President, Yushchenko said that Ukraine would seek integration into the global economy and Euro-Atlantic institutions. Ukraine hopes to join the World Trade Organization (WTO). In the longer term, Yushchenko seeks Ukrainian membership in the European Union and NATO. However, conflict between Yushchenko and Yanukovych caused Ukraine's foreign policy to appear incoherent. Yanukovych oppose NATO membership, is less eager to conduct reforms in pursuit of EU membership, and favors to closer ties with Russia. U.S. officials supported the Orange Revolution in 2004-2005, warning the former regime against trying to impose fraudulent election results. U.S. officials have remained upbeat about Ukraine's successes in some areas while acknowledging difficulties.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Oct 10, 2007
Accession Number
ADA474694

Entities

People

  • Steven Woehrel

Organizations

  • Library of Congress

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Agreements
  • Commerce
  • Congress
  • Corporations
  • Department Of State
  • Economic Systems
  • Europe
  • European Union
  • Foreign Policy
  • Governments
  • Investments
  • Law
  • Market Economy
  • Natural Gas
  • Political Systems
  • Standards
  • United States

Fields of Study

  • Political science

Readers

  • International Relations and European Studies
  • Naval Engineering and Maritime Security
  • Political Violence and Terrorism Studies.