PEACE & SECURITY | Creating a more stable world
19 December 2008
United States, Ukraine Sign Security Charter
NATO membership remains key U.S. priority, Rice says
Washington — The United States and Ukraine have signed a security charter that establishes areas of cooperation and reemphasizes NATO membership for Ukraine.
“Ukraine, obviously, is a very important partner for the United States and a good friend,” Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said. “We have long believed that Ukraine's independence, its democracy, is essential to a Europe whole and free and at peace.”
Rice and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Volodymyr Ohryzko signed the United States–Ukraine Charter on Strategic Partnership and Security at the State Department on December 19. The document covers broad areas of cooperation, including economic development and defense, and European integration.
“The United States supports Ukraine's integration into the Euro-Atlantic structures. And in that regard, I want to assure you that the declaration at Bucharest which foresees that Ukraine will be a member of NATO when it can meet those standards is very much at the center of our policy,” Rice said.
Ohryzko said this year has been intensive for Ukraine and the United States, including visits by each president and international meetings.
“This is a very important document because it summarizes our efforts during the past year, but it also has a very important dimension for our future,” Ohryzko said.
The agreement, though not binding, increases cultural and people-to-people contacts and increases the presence of the United States in Ukraine, and in the Crimea, he said. The United States is planning a “diplomatic presence” on the Crimean peninsula near the Black Sea.
The strategic partnership is also intended, Rice said, to enhance regional security.
The text of the United States-Ukraine Charter on Strategic Partnership is available on the State Department Web site.
