The changed status of the new President of Ukraine’s visit in Russia

Tomorrow Victor Yanukovych will pay his first visit to Moscow. Arkady Dubnov in the latest Vremya Novostey makes special emphasis on the official status of this trip.

The status of the visit was raised by the Kremlin only yesterday, as the Kremlin’s press service informed. It had been previously announced that Mr. Yanukovych will pay a working visit to Moscow. Yesterday it was also announced about the resignation of Yulia Tymoshenko, the Prime Minister and Mr. Yanykovych’s major rival. The Ukrainian Parliament had toppled her cabinet in a no-confidence vote.

The change of status of the new Ukrainian President’s visit took place disregarding the concern (as expressed by the Russian Foreign Ministry) over the need for longer preparation time and a more extensive negotiation agenda. Yet as it turned out, the official visit of a guest of honor can be fixed without much fuss. In Moscow, Victor Yanukovych will hold talks with President Dmitry Medvedev and Premier Vladimir Putin. He will also lay a wreath upon the Tomb of an Unknown Soldier and at Taras Shevchenko’s monument.

On the other hand, the forth President of Ukraine will come to Moscow as a final winner in a fight with his old rival – Yulia Tymoshenko (although she never recognized her failure). Yesterday, a week after coming into office, he succeeded in solving one of his main problems – ousting Ms. Tymoshenko out of her premiership.

This drama in two acts, staged at the Verkhovna Rada, was worthy of an artist’s brush. The play was begun by Mykola Azarov, Regions Party leader, who summed up the results of the 26-month premiership of the former “orange princess”. His speech fully suited a state prosecutor. Mr. Azarov declared that Ukraine remains in critical condition and “the worst situation during the last twenty years”. He put special emphasis on the items, very familiar to a common Ukrainian – “beef production dropped by a third and pork by half. Ukraine cannot supply butter to its citizens. Belarus now helps us to feed our people”. To Mr. Azarov’s mind, Belarus’s aid seems to be most insulting for the Ukrainians.

Hard to say what has made Russia to raise the status of its former ally’s visit. Perhaps, Moscow wanted to emphasize the importance of the complete restoration of its relations with Kyiv after Victor Yushchenko’s departure. Or maybe it was an attempt to calm down the emotions, fueled by the suspicion that Moscow decided to have Mr. Yanukovych on “a working visit” as a revenge for him making his first trip to Brussels.

In the mean time, Mr. Azarov continued to ram down accusations against the Prime Minister as nails into a coffin with her working reputation... “Deficit of sugar is 50,000 tons. We now have to export potatoes! Tractor production decreased four times. Ukraine is least attractive to foreign investments in Europe”, he continued his laments.

When Mr. Yanukovych’s comrade from way back was once asked about his favorite candidate for premiership, he answered straightforwardly: “A person from the Regions Party. The Government should realize the President’s election program.” There is little secret that Mr. Azarov himself is viewed as the most probable candidate, although he coquettishly denied these allegations yesterday...

When Mr. Azarov was arriving at the end of his speech, Yulia Tymoshenko entered the hall of the Verkhovna Rada. The BYuT deputies hailed her appearance by standing ovations and applauds. The Prime Minister immediately announced that if her Cabinet is given a non-confidence vote, her team “will augment opposition by joining the democratic forces”. She also promised that while in opposition, she will “continue fulfilling the sacred duties”. She listed these duties: independence, identity, protection of state language, culture, history, and strategic objects. Just like that, all divided by comas…

The BYuT leader seems to have launched a new election campaign – this time parliamentary. “Our team has been and will always be governed by one value only – the country is above all!” Remarkably, President Yushchenko told his successor these exact words before leaving the president’s cabinet.

After that, Ms. Tymoshenko engaged in common accusations. Speaking of the upcoming voting, she called it “the moment of truth for every faction – whether they for Ukraine or against it”. There was also a piece of usual pathos. “We will save Ukraine from terrible misfortune,” promised the Prime Minister.

Ms. Tymoshenko refused to answer any questions and called for immediate voting. This was again reminiscent of a court session, when a defendant asks a judge to deliver his verdict without delay. Yet by the end of her emotional speech, Ms. Tymoshenko found time to warn the winner, whose victory she refused to recognize. “If Mr. Yanukovych thinks that he will play golf and tennis in a week, while his entourage is quietly stealing the state property, he is making a grave mistake. Every day he will report in front of the country and opposition. We assure that”, she stated.

The voting results came out as follows: 243 MPs – 172 from the Regions Party, 15 from NU-NS, 27 communists, 19 from the Bloc of Litvyn, and 7 from BYuT – gave a non-confidence vote to the Government. Seven votes from BYuT were quite unexpected. As Sergey Sobolev, one of Ms. Tymoshenko’s staunch supporters, commented: “Those deputies were offered material and career incentives”.

Yesterday evening, at the session of her parliamentary faction, Ms. Tymoshenko, announced that she would not continue to perform the duties of the Prime Minister and will move in opposition even before the new coalition is formed in the Verkhovna Rada. Ex-Premier decided to take vacation, while her Vice Prime Minister and close ally Olexander Turchynov was announced an interim head of the government.

According to the Constitution of Ukraine, the new ruling coalition should be created during thirty days since the Government’s withdrawal. Otherwise new parliamentary elections will be held. Victor Yanukovych’s opponents are concerned that the Regions Party, which now has 243 votes, will initiate “cloning” of the so-called “stray factions”, viable for only several days, in order to create a technical coalition. The RP deputies hope they will have an even bigger majority in the Parliament.

President Yanukovych called for a new coalition yesterday – according to him, as a means to prevent new parliamentary elections. “Find political will and reach an agreement. We have to overcome the administration crisis and move forward”, announced Mr. Yanukovych.

Everyone expects to hear which way we will move forward during Mr. Yanukovych’s tomorrow’s visit in Moscow. He will certainly receive a proposal to move forward towards a single economic space together with Russia, Kazakhstan and Belorussia. Yet he has obviously prepared an answer for that during his Brussels’ trip.

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