White House reacts to referendum (12/08/91)

White House reacts to referendum

On Monday, December 2, White House spokesman Marlin Fitzwater delivered the following official reaction to Ukraine's vote for independence:

Yesterday, in a free and fair vote, the people of Ukraine voted for independence. The United States welcomes this expression of democracy which is a tribute to the spirit of the Ukrainian people. The president would also like to congratulate Leonid Kravchuk on his apparent victory in Ukraine's first free presidential election. Yesterday's referendum and election were also a tribute to the defeat of the coup in which Boris Yeltsin played such a pivotal role and a positive development for the New Europe.

For its part, the United States looks forward to the kind of normal relationship with Ukraine that one would expect it to have with a democratizing country. Ukraine's aspiration to join the Euroatlantic community is striking testimony to the will for liberty in a nation which has persisted and survived despite the terrible calamities of the 20th century.

In developing this relationship, we also intend to continue our cooperation with President Mikhail Gorbachev and his government and to strengthen our expanding ties with President Yeltsin and the Russian government as well as the other republics.

We are aware that independence raises some complex issues to be resolved among Russia, Ukraine and the center. The establishment of a new cooperative relationship between Russia and Ukraine, based on openness and mutual respect, will be a test of whether they are capable of making the transition to democratic societies which respect the rights of individuals. We hope and believe that the leaders in Moscow and Kiev will establish such a relationship. The president has instructed the secretary of state to dispatch a special emissary, Assistant Secretary for European and Canadian Affairs Thomas Niles, to discuss with the newly-elected authorities in Kiev our future relationships with Ukraine. In particular, Secretary James Baker has asked the special emissary to consult closely with the Ukrainian leadership on three issues of fundamental importance.

First, the special emissary will discuss ways in which the United States and the international community can support Ukrainian adherence to democratic values and practices, especially respect for human rights, including equal treatment of minorities. The special emissary will also discuss ways in which Ukraine can record its commitment to such fundamental principles as: respect for international obligations; respect for borders, with changes to be made only peacefully and through negotiations; and respect for and adherence to all of the other norms of the Helsinki Final Act, the Charter of Paris, and other CSCE documents.

Second, the special emissary will discuss with Ukrainian leaders the steps we would like to see Ukraine take to implement their desire to achieve a non-nuclear status and to ensure responsible security policies. These include the steps Ukraine is taking with other republic and union authorities to ensure safe, responsible and reliable control of nuclear weapons; to prevent proliferation of dangerous military-related technology; and to support implementation of relevant international agreements, including START, the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty, the Non-proliferation Treaty, and the Biological Weapons Convention.

Third, the special emissary will also discuss with the Ukrainian leadership its commitment to economic policies aimed at facilitating free markets and free and fair trade both with other republics and with the international community more generally.

Finally, the special emissary will discuss Ukraine's obligation and role with regard to the debts of the Soviet Union. ...

... asked that later this month, Secretary Baker travel to Kiev and Moscow to further consultations on these issues with the leadership of Russia, Ukraine and the center. We are also discussing these issues in NATO and with other allies.

The transformation of the Soviet Union as we have known it is of vital significance not only to us but to our European and other allies and we, therefore, will continue to coordinate our approach with them.

In closing, we commend Ukrainians for pursuing the democratic path, both in the referendum on independence and in its popular vote for president. As both the Ukrainian and American people will understand, genuine and effective independence requires a never-ending commitment to democratic values and practices.

As the people of Ukraine, Russia and the other republics continue peacefully and democratically to pursue the hard work of freedom, the president supports them in their work and wishes them peace and prosperity.