ACCESSION NUMBER:357812
FILE ID:EUR107
DATE:08/22/94
TITLE:U.S. LAUDS UKRAINE'S NON-PROLIFERATION WORK (08/22/94)
TEXT:*94082201.PFE
*EUR107 08/22/94
U.S. LAUDS UKRAINE'S NON-PROLIFERATION WORK
(Aid package moving forward) (410)
Washington -- Ukraine is carrying out its nuclear disarmament obligations
and the U.S. is proceeding with aid to help insure that country's security,
a senior Defense Department official said August 22.
The official spoke at a briefing held following the recent visits to Kiev by
Vice President Gore and Assistant Defense Secretary Ashton Carter. Gore
went to Ukraine two weeks ago, and his trip was followed last week by
Carter's.
The senior Defense Department official, who accompanied Carter to Kiev, told
reporters at the Pentagon that the assistant secretary made clear
Washington's approval of the current nuclear disarmament effort.
As Ukraine fulfills its commitments under the Trilateral Agreement with
Moscow and Washington and accedes to the Non-Proliferation Treaty, the
United States is moving forward with a series of initiatives designed to
enhance Ukraine's security over the long term, the official said Carter
told the Ukrainians.
"As Ukraine gives up its nuclear weapons, we want to help it insure that it
1an protect itself in a conventional fashion," the official said. "We have
established a very strong military-to-military relationship" between
Washington and Kiev "in which we are pursuing a series of very active
initiatives."
These include reciprocal visits by senior military officers and training of
Ukrainians in various elements of conventional warfare, the official said.
In addition, Ukrainian military units will take part in the first
Partnership for Peace combined military exercise in Poland in September and
the first joint NATO-Partnership for Peace military exercise in October.
"It is our view that these kinds of cooperative programs -- both bilaterally
between the United States and Ukraine and multilaterally between Ukraine
and the Partnership for Peace -- are the best assurance of Ukraine's future
security," the official said.
"We have this window of opportunity that we must seize and engage actively"
in helping Kiev's military to build a conventional force capable of
defending Ukraine, he said.
In the meantime, removal of Ukrainian nuclear missiles for transport to
Russia goes on. SS-24 missile removal is proceeding. A problem arose in
the removal of SS-19s, which use large amounts of a toxic substance know as
heptyl. While in Kiev, Carter arranged for the United States to send
storage tanks to hold 2,200 metric tons of the substance. "This will allow
the process of dismantling the SS-19s to move ahead," the official
declared.
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