Problem of economic reforms concerns not only Ukraine but also the EU and the USA – Paula Dobriansky

"The problem of economic reforms concerns not only Ukraine but also the EU and the US,"the U.S. Undersecretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs Paula Dobriansky said during the 10th Kiev Forum organized by the Arseniy Yatsenyuk Foundation Open Ukraine.

"Today, when there are talks about Ukraine, a significant attention is paid to the issue of the IMF assistance and economic reforms that Ukraine should conduct. However, I would like to note that reforms are not only a Ukrainian problem. This is also the problem of the EU, as today much depends on similar reforms within the EU. As well as in the USA. For the United States, the economic factor is also important. In particular, during the recent elections, it was the economic factor that had a decisive influence on their results," the U.S. politician noted.

To the purely economic factors that now have a decisive influence on the development of Ukraine, Paula Dobriansky also drew attention to the humanitarian factor.

"I would also like to stress on the importance of the humanitarian factor for Ukraine. The EU was confronted with the issue of refugees because of the conflict in the Middle East, which affected the economies of European countries. In turn, today Ukraine has 2,5 million internally displaced persons (IDP’s) as a result of the Russian aggression in the east of the country. And that's why we all need to pay attention to this problem today and take measures to solve it in order to prevent its deterioration in the future", Paula Dobriansky underlined.

Regarding criticism towards the current presidential administration in the US, I would like to note that in many respects it is undeserved. President Trump has many advantages: he talks about what he thinks, about what should be discussed first. He raised the issue of adequate allocation of responsibility within the NATO, in particular, defense expenditures within the Alliance. Previously, the US tried to raise this issue, but no one had done this like President Trump.

FOR REFERENCE:

Kyiv Security Forum was launched by the Arseniy Yatsenyuk Foundation Open Ukraine in 2007 is an annual international event to high-level discussions on the current issues in the Black Sea region and wider Europe. The Forum aims at increasing security cooperation between the EU and the Black Sea region, raising awareness about regional developments among key regional players, promoting the role of independent and non-governmental actors in setting the security agenda in Europe.