Speaking recently to the Club of the Cabinet of Ministers in Kyiv, Ukraine, U.S. Ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt gave “the strongest possible assurance of the United States regarding our commitment to continue to stand with the Ukrainian people so long as Ukraine -- the Ukrainian Government, the Ukrainian Rada, and the President -- continues to stick to the difficult path of reform and make emphatically clear that the policies and practices that did so much to hold this country back in the past will no longer be tolerated.”
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Supporting Justice Reform in Ukraine
“From that standpoint,” said Ambassador Pyatt, “I particularly welcome the Prime Minister’s statement of his commitment to make the reforms of the past year now irreversible. In that regard, I am extremely proud of what the United States has accomplished.”
The U.S. has committed over $20 million dollars to help support the new patrol police. The United States is also committed to continuing its strong partnership with the National Guard, building on what was accomplished at Yavoriv through the Fearless Guardian training, and to maintain its longstanding partnership with the Border Guards.
Through the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. will also continue to partner with the Government of Ukraine, the courts, and civil society to support reforms that strengthen the rule of law, tackle corruption, and increase judicial independence and accountability.
“Finally,” Ambassador Pyatt noted, “the importance of addressing the third pillar of justice and rule of law reform, which is the prosecutorial sector. In this regard, the United States is going to continue to offer maximum support to the anti-corruption reformers of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor, and to those within the office of the Prosecutor General who have demonstrated a true commitment to reform.”
“But the number one requirement in this area,” according to Ambassador Pyatt, “is to demonstrate absolutely clearly that there will be a new system. That this is not about perpetuating the poisonous practices of the past, or tolerating the kind of corruption that characterized previous Ukrainian governments.”
To achieve this goal, Ukraine can rely on the full and unwavering support of its partner, the United States.