Putin Goes on Stump in Ukraine

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2004/10/27/001.html

Putin Goes on Stump in Ukraine

By Francesca Mereu and Simon Saradzhyan
Staff Writers

KIEV -- President Vladimir Putin went live on prime-time Ukrainian television Tuesday to promise a bright common future for Russia and Ukraine. But he linked it to the continuity of projects pursued by the two countries' current leaderships, in a clear effort to support this Sunday's presidential bid by Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, favorite of both the Kremlin and the outgoing president, Leonid Kuchma.

"I would like Russia and Ukraine to occupy appropriate niches in modern human civilization," Putin said in a Q&A session broadcast live by three national Ukrainian channels Tuesday evening. "We are large countries, we are high-tech countries with a high level of culture," he said.

Joining their efforts, Russian and Ukraine's high-tech industries, including space industries, could conquer markets in third countries, "which would be very complicated" if Kiev and Moscow act separately, Putin said.

Putin flew into Kiev for a three-day visit just five days before Sunday's election, which will see Yanukovych in a neck-and-neck battle against opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko, who enjoys the support of nationalist and pro-Western voters.

Analysts predict that neither of the two candidates will win the elections outright and that they will square off in a second round next month.

In a clear effort to rally undecided voters, Putin, who has openly associated himself with Yanukovych's campaign, called on Ukrainians to come out and vote "for the candidate you really trust."

Putin promised to Ukrainian voters that Russia would push for dual citizenship for citizens of Ukraine, Russia and Belarus in a clear gesture of support for Yanukovych, who is campaigning on the platform of closer ties among the Slavic countries.

Putin also touted the idea of allowing all citizens of countries in the Commonwealth of Independent States to travel freely between member countries with only their domestic passports -- a move that would definitely please Ukrainian workers who travel to Russia in search of better-paying jobs.

In an ill-camouflaged attempt to support Kuchma's designated heir, Putin also praised Ukrainian government leaders for devoting most of their interaction with their Russian counterparts to discussing how to improve the living conditions of their citizens. "During our meetings, we are practically only talking about this issue," Putin said.

Putin also took time to push Russia's agenda in Ukraine by asserting that the presence of Russia's Black Sea fleet base in the Ukrainian port of Sevastopol does not contradict the Ukrainian constitution. He also repeatedly mentioned the Unified Economic Space, a putative customs union that Russia is trying to put together with Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan, by saying that Russia may agree to give up sovereignty on some economic issues to this organization if its development leads to the establishment of a supranational body.

Putin also sought to alleviate concerns of Yushchenko supporters that suspect Russia of harboring imperial ambitions toward Ukraine by saying that any attempt to revive the Soviet empire "would be counterproductive."

While clearly on a pro-Yanukovych campaign mission, Putin used the celebration of the 60th anniversary of Kiev's liberation from Nazi Germany as the official reason for his visit. In an apparent effort to link the election campaign to the anniversary, Ukrainian authorities even moved the celebrations forward from the historical date of Nov. 6 to Thursday, three days before the election.

Putin will attend Thursday's parade and meet with Kuchma and Yanukovych in set-piece events guaranteed to win generous coverage on state-controlled media in both countries.

By siding openly with Yanukovych, Putin risks losing face if Yushchenko wins. Such a loss would also deal a blow to Russia's reputation as a mover and shaker in the former Soviet Union, which Moscow considers to be its own strategic backyard. The Kremlin's upfront support for Yanukovych has already started to annoy some Ukrainians and could be counterproductive, both analysts and voters said.

Yushchenko issued a statement Tuesday evening to warn Putin that Yanukovych is trying to "draw Russia into the resolution of his personal problems" and that Putin's visit, regardless of its official pretext, would be viewed as related to the presidential race.

"This is the worst interference in Ukrainian interior affairs," said Vladimir Polokhalo, an independent political analyst at the World Economy and International Relations Institute of the Ukrainian Science Academy. "Putin is arriving today for the celebration of the 60th anniversary of Kiev's liberation, but everyone here understands that this is just a pretext. People understand that Putin is coming to back Yanukovych. This is one of the many dirty PR stunts of these elections."

Russian Ambassador to Ukraine Viktor Chernomyrdin told reporters Tuesday that Putin's visit "is not linked to the presidential elections."

Officials in Kiev said the change in the date for the anniversary parade was made a year ago.

For Hryhoriy Nemyria, director of the Center for European and International Studies, "Putin's visit is an ingredient of the Yanukovych cocktail."

The cocktail, he said, "consists of three ingredients -- one, administrative resources; two, the harassment of NGOs, the media and the opposition; and three -- and this is where Putin comes in -- Russia's shoulder."

The authorities, Nemyria said, are counting on the voters who have sympathy for Putin and on Putin's charisma to stump up votes for Yanukovych.

But both experts believe that Putin's intervention could play a counterproductive role.

"Those who have already decided to vote for Yanukovych do not need Putin to come to convince them to do so," Nemyria said.

Alyona Pritula, editor of online paper pravda.com.ua, said that the Ukrainian electorate is divided into "those from western and central Ukraine, who are very skeptical toward Russia and are against Russia's interfering in the elections, and those from eastern Ukraine, where most people speak Russian and watch Russian television."

Some Kiev residents on Tuesday also took umbrage at what they saw as undue interference in Ukraine's affairs.

Katya, a 27-year-old teacher, called Russia's backing fo Yanukovych "simply interfering in another country's affairs."

"Ukraine is not Russia, but Russia still thinks that it can influence our internal politics. I won't vote for anyone who has been chosen by Russia," she said.

Dmitry, a 38-year-old taxi driver, said that Putin is unlikely to convince him to vote for Yanukovych. "Our media are selling us Yanukovych as they sell toothpaste," he said. "Even if the Russian president joins this advertising, he is not going to convince me to buy bad-quality toothpaste."

Simon Saradzhyan reported from Moscow.