Peculiarities of Ukrainian-US Relations in the Early 2000s

The article analyses Ukrainian-American relations’ dynamics, peculiarities and complexities in the early 2000s. The author reveals the considerations and approaches of the US administration of George W. Bush to building relations with Ukraine. It is shown that bilateral cooperation from 2001 to 2002 mainly followed a downward trajectory. Among the problems that complicated the political dialogue between Kyiv and Washington were the ‘cassette’ and ‘Kolchuga’ scandals, the unsatisfactory pace of reforms and problems with democracy in Ukraine, the inconsistency of Leonid Kuchma’s foreign policy, and corruption. The US policy towards Ukraine during this period was based on a tough approach, the principle of ‘reward for achievement’ and strategic considerations to keep Kyiv out of Moscow’s orbit of influence. For their part, Ukrainian leaders actively sought to restore cooperation with the United States. In this regard, they used the events of 11 September 2001 as a window of opportunity, offering their political support and airspace to US aircraft during the US military campaign in Afghanistan. However, the chainmail scandal of autumn 2002 dealt a severe blow to Ukrainian-American relations, leading to the curtailment of political dialogue between the countries and the suspension of US economic assistance to Ukraine. It is established that later, Washington used methods of pressure and international isolation of the Ukrainian leadership, forcing it to join the anti-Iraqi coalition, creating the appearance of international support for the US military operation against S. Hussein’s regime. The purpose of the article is to highlight and analyse the dynamics and peculiarities of Ukrainian-American relations in the early 2000s in the context of the Republican administration of G. W. Bush coming to power in the United States. The research methodology includes historical and comparative methods, a systematic approach, and general scientific research methods. The extensive use of the historical method in the study made it possible to reconstruct the chronology of events and the logic of the actions of the Bush Jr. and Leonid Kuchma administrations in building bilateral relations. The systematic method allowed us to consider the key events and problems of Ukrainian-American cooperation at that time, taking into account the broad context of foreign policy and domestic factors under which the parties acted.