Zelenskiy-Biden meeting signals ‘reassurance’ of ongoing US support to Ukraine, former Amb says

William Taylor: You’re right. It was a strange four years, but I wouldn’t use the word “reset” for all kinds of reasons. And I say that because the relationship between the United States and Ukraine over the past 20 years has been solid, has been consistent. So, it’s not really a reset. It’s a reassurance that the support for Ukraine continues.

He’ll want to make the case that Ukraine is standing on its own and is a democracy. It’s a proud democracy. It’s an independent country. It’s proud of its independence. It now, of course, has to defend its independence from the Russians, who have invaded and occupied parts of Ukraine. So, President Zelenskiy wants to demonstrate that Ukraine is standing on its own and is a worthy partner.

Where the United States stands is in several places. That is, the Congress has been very clear. Congress adamantly opposes Nord Stream 2, for all the reasons that you just said. It is a challenge to Ukrainian security, it’s a challenge to European energy security, and therefore it’s a challenge to us. So, the Congress is united against Nord Stream. There was a debate within the administration, I understand, and the administration’s policy now is to waive the sanctions that Congress said should be imposed on the people, the companies who are building Nord Stream. The Nord Stream benefits go, not really to Germany, I mean, it was Germany that was probably uppermost on the administration’s mind when they made that decision, but the real benefits go to Russia. And again, if our worry is a challenge that Russia poses, then Nord Stream helps Russians and doesn’t help us.

There are many aspects, of course, to any relationship between any two countries and allies and strategic partners, in this case, can certainly disagree on things. And Ukraine and the Biden administration disagree on Nord Stream.

I would not put “existential” in that sentence. Nord Stream’s important. There’s no doubt. That’s not existential. It’s a couple of billion [dollars] a year in revenues for Ukraine. But it is also, as you point out, it does give the Russians longer-term leverage over Europe and over Ukraine. But existential is too strong. It’s important, but existential is the Russian challenge to Ukraine.

Russia does not hold all the cards at the end of the day. And there are steps that I am sure that President Zelenskiy and President Biden will talk about. One of the questions that President Zelenskiy is going to ask President Biden this afternoon is, “Will you get involved? Will you help us negotiate the Russians out of our country, out of Ukraine?” And I hope that President Biden will say yes and will engage and bring the weight of the United States’ diplomatic efforts to those negotiations — to try to negotiate an end to that conflict on Ukrainian terms.

Ukraine should not necessarily be fast-tracked into NATO, and I think the Ukrainians know — they’re not looking for a shortcut by any means. What they are looking for is a reaffirmation of the promise made to Ukraine — and Georgia, by the way, in 2008, at a NATO summit. They said that Ukraine and Georgia will become members of NATO. That was a promise made in 2008. And so, I think Ukrainians today want to hear some reassurance that that promise is still there and some expectation of how to realize that promise. So, this is an important goal.

I guess it’s an interesting question. It’s not really a relevant question, however. The Russians don’t have a veto here. The Russians don’t get to choose, don’t get to decide, don’t get a say in whether a country joins NATO or not. They’ll not be happy. They probably weren’t happy when Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania joined NATO. Those are right on their borders, as well. But that’s not decisive by any means.

So, the visit this week of President Zelenskiy goes a long way to demonstrating to Ukraine the closeness of this relationship. When you look at all of the agreements across the government for cooperation and collaboration, this demonstrates that the United States is a strong supporter of Ukraine. It demonstrates that there is a commitment on the part of the United States to a successful Ukraine — economically, politically, democratically and from a security standpoint. So, I think this meeting, which, as you say, is a long-time coming, is more than just a sit down for an hour in the Oval Office. It is a demonstration of a strong connection, support and partnership going both ways. I want to emphasize the both-ways part, because Ukraine brings a lot to the table, but the strong partnership between the United States and Ukraine.