President of Ukraine

Yulia Svyrydenko: Ukraine and the United States must work together to protect democracy and freedom

6 March 2021 - 09:42

Ukraine is deeply interested in developing trade and investment cooperation with the United States. This was stated by Deputy Head of the Office of the President Yulia Svyrydenko during an online discussion with American and European politicians and experts organized by the American think tank Atlantic Council.

"We would like to further develop cooperation in the fields of agriculture, nuclear and renewable energy, as well as in the aerospace sector. We strive to dramatically increase the volume of bilateral trade and attract American investors and technology to Ukraine," Yulia Svyrydenko said.

According to her, it is extremely important for Ukraine that the United States joins the negotiation process on Donbas in the Normandy and Minsk formats to make them as effective as possible. At the same time, the Deputy Head of the Office of the President stressed that the United States, the European Union and Ukraine should coordinate their actions.

"We must work together to defend democracy and freedom and to oppose the authoritarian regime. We highly appreciate your participation in the fight against regimes that violate international law," Yulia Svyrydenko said.

She stressed that it was also important for the Ukrainian party to receive a clear signal from the United States regarding Ukraine's NATO membership.

"We seek to strengthen military cooperation between the United States and Ukraine to further increase the price of any new military aggression. We must confront all aspects of hybrid warfare together. These include cyber threats, countering information attacks and systemic propaganda," the Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine noted.

Yulia Svyrydenko also stressed that our state would be grateful if the United States considered the possibility of introducing a new comprehensive sanctions regime until the end of the war in Ukraine. According to her, these sanctions should remain in effect until eastern Ukraine and Crimea return under full Ukrainian control.

The Deputy Head of the Office of the President noted that Ukraine appreciated the strong bipartisan position of the American authorities on the Nord Stream 2.

"This project remains a major threat to Ukraine's national security. And when we discuss expectations from the new US administration, the shutdown of this pipeline is absolutely critical for us. The project could severely damage the Ukrainian economy and threaten energy security in Europe. We highly appreciate the strong opposition of the United States to this Russian geopolitical energy project," Yulia Svyrydenko said.

The discussion was attended by First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk, Member of the House of Representatives from the US Democratic Party and Co-Chair of the Ukrainian Caucus in Congress Marcy Kaptur, Member of the House of Representatives from the US Republican Party Brian Fitzpatrick, President and CEO of the US-Russia Foundation Celeste Wallander, US Ambassador to Ukraine in 2003-2006 John Herbst. The discussion was moderated by former Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sweden Carl Bildt.