Ukraine Will Get the Truth on Corruption
Our alliance with the U.S. depends on answering questions about the Bidens and election interference.
By Valentyn Nalyvaichenko
Wall Street Journal
Oct. 10, 2019 6:19 pm ET
The building of the prosecutor general in Kyiv, Ukraine, Oct. 4. PHOTO: STR/ZUMA PRESS
The U.S. and Ukraine are wrapped together in a crisis, and the future of our partnership depends on us finally getting to the facts. As a member of the Ukrainian Parliament, one of my country’s foremost national security experts, and a leader of our fight against corruption, I know discovering the truth is the first step toward any acceptable resolution.
Serious allegations have been made in the U.S. and Ukraine, including that Ukrainian government officials and organizations assisted Hillary Clinton’s campaign in 2016 and that Burisma, a major Ukrainian gas company, hired Hunter Biden, Joe Biden’s son, for cynical purposes. Regardless of the implications of these charges within American politics, Ukraine has a responsibility to investigate them completely and transparently.
First, as I have insisted for more than two years, we must resolve the allegation that Ukrainian officials interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. If we find that Ukrainian laws were broken, the perpetrators here must be prosecuted swiftly, to the fullest extent of the law.
Second, Ukraine must resolve the allegations regarding Burisma. As the former head of the Security Service of Ukraine, our version of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, I know there are many accusations of corruption against this company.
It isn’t clear whether Ukrainian officials meddled in the American election, but Parliament must find out. We also do not know if Hunter Biden was complicit in Burisma’s alleged corruption, or why he was appointed to the board of a Ukrainian company. The allegation that Burisma arranged its relationship to the younger Mr. Biden by donating to a U.S. think tank is merely a small part of the larger question about its activities.
There is no way to know if crimes were committed unless the Ukrainian government investigates all allegations properly and transparently. It is imperative for our country and our place in global society that corruption at the top is dealt with seriously, with no one placed above the law.
That is why I am proposing that all parties in the new Ukrainian Parliament, which took office a month ago, join in an investigation to discover exactly what took place with Burisma and the 2016 U.S. elections.
In Ukraine, members of our national parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, are obliged to pursue the truth vigorously in these matters. There must be no diplomatic hangover from corruption crimes committed before the current government was seated. After all, the old government is long gone.
Since we won our freedom in 1991, Ukraine has worked closely with the U.S. to develop a world-class democracy. With Western support we have come a very long way. We have further to go, and one of the steps we must take is to prove we are trusted partners in the global fight against corruption.
When crimes are committed, it is vital that the criminals are brought to justice. We must act.
Only when our two great nations recognize the necessity for strategic partnership and work together in pursuit of justice can we assure that this never happens again.
Mr. Nalyvaichenko is a member of the Ukrainian Parliament. He served as head of the Security Service of Ukraine from 2006-10.
By Valentyn Nalyvaichenko
Wall Street Journal
Oct. 10, 2019 6:19 pm ET
The building of the prosecutor general in Kyiv, Ukraine, Oct. 4. PHOTO: STR/ZUMA PRESS
The U.S. and Ukraine are wrapped together in a crisis, and the future of our partnership depends on us finally getting to the facts. As a member of the Ukrainian Parliament, one of my country’s foremost national security experts, and a leader of our fight against corruption, I know discovering the truth is the first step toward any acceptable resolution.
Serious allegations have been made in the U.S. and Ukraine, including that Ukrainian government officials and organizations assisted Hillary Clinton’s campaign in 2016 and that Burisma, a major Ukrainian gas company, hired Hunter Biden, Joe Biden’s son, for cynical purposes. Regardless of the implications of these charges within American politics, Ukraine has a responsibility to investigate them completely and transparently.
First, as I have insisted for more than two years, we must resolve the allegation that Ukrainian officials interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. If we find that Ukrainian laws were broken, the perpetrators here must be prosecuted swiftly, to the fullest extent of the law.
Second, Ukraine must resolve the allegations regarding Burisma. As the former head of the Security Service of Ukraine, our version of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, I know there are many accusations of corruption against this company.
It isn’t clear whether Ukrainian officials meddled in the American election, but Parliament must find out. We also do not know if Hunter Biden was complicit in Burisma’s alleged corruption, or why he was appointed to the board of a Ukrainian company. The allegation that Burisma arranged its relationship to the younger Mr. Biden by donating to a U.S. think tank is merely a small part of the larger question about its activities.
There is no way to know if crimes were committed unless the Ukrainian government investigates all allegations properly and transparently. It is imperative for our country and our place in global society that corruption at the top is dealt with seriously, with no one placed above the law.
That is why I am proposing that all parties in the new Ukrainian Parliament, which took office a month ago, join in an investigation to discover exactly what took place with Burisma and the 2016 U.S. elections.
In Ukraine, members of our national parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, are obliged to pursue the truth vigorously in these matters. There must be no diplomatic hangover from corruption crimes committed before the current government was seated. After all, the old government is long gone.
Since we won our freedom in 1991, Ukraine has worked closely with the U.S. to develop a world-class democracy. With Western support we have come a very long way. We have further to go, and one of the steps we must take is to prove we are trusted partners in the global fight against corruption.
When crimes are committed, it is vital that the criminals are brought to justice. We must act.
Only when our two great nations recognize the necessity for strategic partnership and work together in pursuit of justice can we assure that this never happens again.
Mr. Nalyvaichenko is a member of the Ukrainian Parliament. He served as head of the Security Service of Ukraine from 2006-10.
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